The Andaman Islands

THE

ANDAMAN ISLANDS

BY

F. A. M. DASS, B.A..

FOREWORD BY

CHEV. C. J. VARKEY, K.S.G., M.A^ M.L.A.

FfclNTF.b AT THE GOOD SHEPHERD CONVENT PRlSS

CONDUCTED BY THE SISTERS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

BANGALORE

1937

All rights reserved

CONTENTS

PART I

CHAPTER

I TOPOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION

II ANCIENT NOTICES OF THE ISLANDS AND

THE CHARGE OF CANNIBALISM

III RACE, RELIGION, AND LANGUAGE

IV SOCIAL LIFE AND GOVERNMENT

PART II

I THE HISTORY OF THE BRITISH OCCUPATION

OF THE ISLANDS

II HISTORY OF THE PENAL SETTLEMENT

III THE CONVICTS

IV RELATIONS WITH THE ANDAMANESE

V AROUND PORT BLAIR

VI THE LOCAL-BORN

VII THE POPULATION OF THE ISLANDS

VIII FORESTS

IX AGRICULTURE

X INDUSTRIES

XI CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES

XII EDUCATION

XIII HEALTH

XIV MEDICAL CARE

XV RECREATION

XVI MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

XVII POLICE DEPARTMENT
XVIII COLONISING THE ISLANDS

XIX THE TRAGIC END OF LORD MAYO

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

A Family of Andamanese

Gymkana Ground

" ingle Ghat

Wireless Station, North Point

Husband and Wife

The woman with a pattern of clay all over
her body

Ross Island in the distance

Officers' Mess and Swimming Bath, Ross

Chief Commissioner's Office, Ross

Main Entrance Cellular Jail, Atlanta Point,
Aberdeen

Andaman Woman
Cellular Jails

Local-Born Association and Browning Club
Bazar Street, Aberdeen
Elephant working at the log depot
A raft of timbers in the creek
St. Joseph's Chapel, Port Blair
War Memorial, Aberdeen
Built m memory of the convicts who volun-
teered to serve m the Great War

Christ Church, Ross
Holiday Makers

An Indian Official child preparing to entertain
her friends to tea ^*

Trams loaded with timber and dragged by an
elephant. In a jungle in the Middle
Andamans

Aberdeen Jetty

Government Dockyard, Phoenix Bay

Phoenix Bay

Government Saw Mills

(cross mark indicates Hope Town Jetty at

the bottom of Mt. Harriett where Lord

Mayo was murdered}

Cocoanut Plantation

The Jarrawa Boy now in Ranchi

A small group of Andamanese North
Andaman

RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO
THE REVERED MEMORY OF

LORD MAYO

WHOSE NOBILITY OF LIFE AND IDEALS

AND WHOSE SELFLESS INTEREST

IN 1HE IMPROVEMENT

OF THE

CONVICT-POPULATION

OF THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

INSPIRED THE AUTHOR TO WRITE THIS BOOK

FOREWORD

""; , ! K . ,;daman Islands are known to all stu-
* :!-r .- v --i Indian geography, and some may
,,,i: >: L:, ; -_ a vague idea of these Islands as a Penal
Settlement. Beyond this piece of knowledge
very few know anything definite about this
group of two hundred and four small islands in
the Bay of Bengal. Naturally, therefore, this
charming book, attractively written by Mr.
F. A. M. Dass, B.A., will be welcomed by those
who desire to know some of the hidden mysteri-
es of the seas surrounding the Indian Continent.
The author gives a clear and vivid picture
of the land and its resources and beauties as
well as of the people and their peculiar habits
and government. It is interesting to be told
that during the early maritime and commercial
activities of the peoples of India, the Andaman
Islands were not unknown to the mariners of
those ancient days. But greater acquaintance
and connection between the mainland of India
and the Islands was of recent date with the
British occupation of the Islands, which com-
menced during the administration of Lord
Cornwallis. It was, however, only in the days
of the great Indian Mutiny that the Islands
were chosen for the Penal Settlement. The
story of the British occupation reads like a
romance of heroism and adventure.

There are several chapters describing the
people and their barbarous habits as well as
the natural resources of the Islands. The

chapter on " The Convicts " gives an idea of
the peculiar organisation and government 01,
the Penal Settlement. In another chapter Jtkoi
author describes the interesting attempts made
to get into contact with the uncivilized natives
of these islands and to spread elements of
civilization among them. The author has a
very suggestive chapter on " Colonising the
Islands". He says: "Many are of opinion
that a free colony can be established by intro-
ducing certain necessary administrative and
economic changes which would work out the
desired scheme of colonisation ", and he thinks
that the Andaman Islands might afford good
facilities and attractions for the surplus popu-
lation of India to settle down in these islands
with their intensive virgin soil. The last
chapter deals with the pathetic story of the
assassination on the Islands, in 1872, of Lord
Mayo, one who was perhaps the greatest
benefactor of the people of the Islands.

The book is so admirably written and so
beautifully illustrated with pictures and scenes
that after reading it one feels as if he had just
returned after a pleasant sojourn in these
" Fairy Islands " of the Indian Bay. Mr.
Dass deserves congratulations on his creditable
performance, and I trust he will find many
readers who will enjoy his book more than a
novel or a book of travel and adventure.

MANGALORE, C. J. VARKEY,

27th May 1937 K.S.G., M.A., M.L,A

INTRODUCTION

" \ N DAMANS ! " The very name sounds
; ~* dreadful and calls forth an exclamation
of wrath and disdain. The ancient and
medieval Andamans have had no historians of
note to write interesting tales and narratives
about them. It is very difficult to find a
complete and accurate account of these Islands
that is really authentic. Practically all that
has been written about them are the scattered
Government Reports and a few books that
have been published at widely separated inter-
vals, so that their history is more or less
shrouded in mystery. As a result, gossip has
woven some very sensational stories about the
Andamans, and facts about the place have
been very much distorted. The generality of
persons, quite naturally, have accepted as true
such exaggerated statements as " A curious
mixture of dense forests, wild beats, cannibals
and convicts of the very worst type, moaning
in agony in their dungeons ". Such accounts
have, of course, poisoned the public mind, and
if these Islands are looked upon with horror all
over the country, it is hardly to be wondered at.

The Author, in his book, has not attempt-
ed to lampoon these cherished prejudices:
satisfactory explanations can be given for the
very extraordinary accounts that have been

written about the Islands. The writer himself
was inclined to believe all the fantastic tales
he heard and read, and it was only after visit-,
ing the Islands many times and delving into
all the available books and records placed at
his disposal, that he was absolutely coijyvnced
that an authentic and up-to-date history of the
Andaman Islands has never been published.
A humble attempt has been made, therefore,
to correct the wrong impressions that have
been given by others concerning the place, and
to describe briefly in this small work the past
history of the Andamans, and to place before
the public an accurate account of conditions
there at the present time.

In presenting his book the Author makes
no claim to scholarship or originality. Besides
having visited the Islands many times in order
to collect first hand information, he has had
recourse to the authentic records of other
writers who have written about the Andamans.
He gratefully acknowledges his indebtedness to
Mr. E. H. Man, Sir Richard Temple, Mr. R.
F. Louis, Mr. M. C. Bonington and Sir W.
W. Hunter, whose works he has freely made
use of in order to make this volume as complete
as possible.

The foreword has been written by that
great champion of Indian Catholics, loyal and
illustrious son of India, Chev. C. J. Varkey,
K.S.G., M.A., M.L.A.; the author is deeply
grateful for this encouraging and appreciative
preface to his first literary attempt.

Some of the Officers at Port Blair were
very kind and helpful to the writer during his
visits there and he thanks them most heartily
their assistance.

were many kind friends who gave
very^generously of their time and advice to aid
the writer in the preparation of his book, but
to name them all individually would be impos-
sible- There are a few, however, to whom he
feels especially indebted. These are : Mr. N-
Kasturi, M.A., B.L., Lecturer in Anthropology
at the Maharaja's College, Mysore and Mr. K.
K- Srinivasiah, BA.,B.T. for so kindly going
through the manuscript and giving the benefit
of their valuable suggestions and corrections;
one whose name has been suppressed by an ex-
press wish, whose self-sacrificing kindness the
writer had no right to expect and will never be
able to repay; the Editor of The Herald, Cal-
cutta, for his kindness in lending the halftone
block of St. Joseph's Chapel at Port Blair; to
the Proprietor of the Sri Shunmugam Process
Studio, Bangalore City, for the good work
done on the blocks; to the Sisters of the Good
Shepherd Convent Press for the splendid way
in which they handled the printing of the book

Finally, to his beloved brother, Francis
Maduram the Author owes a debt of gratitude
that can never be repaid: it was mainly due to
his affectionate regard that the writer crossed
.he sea to visit the "dread" Islands.

In conclusion, this being the Author's

maiden literacy -,aiig|ppc
aware of its nmny iirif
nay, entreats the jggnet^iB^
them, and to be kiS$a*i<ifi<
cism.

The purpose of the bdok tiljjf tHve bl^gtti
amply achieved if the Author sucOTedlh#five^feO|
little, in disillusioning the mind c| tibie reader
regarding the true state of affairs t0 tijjt Anda-
man Islands.

Mysore, 12th May, 1937.

A FAMILY OF ANDAMAIIESC

PART 1

CHAPTER I
Topography and Description

A GROUP of islands known as the Andaman
Islands, about two hundred and four in
number, of unparalleled beauty, embracing
within their bordeio great panoramic wonders
and sheltered fairy-nooks, sun-kissed sea-scapes
and towering mountains, is spread in the Bay
of Bengal, 750 miles equidistant either from
the mouth of the River Hoogly or from the
harbour of Madras.

These islands, some five thousand years
ago, formed part of a continuous range of lofty
mountains extending from Negrais in Burma
on the north to the Achin Head in the Suma-
tras on the south.

It is said that a great cataclysm separated
these islands from the mainland- A popular
legend supports this view. The aborigines,
especially those who live in the south, believe
that Mavia Tomala, their great chief, who lived

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

long ago and from whom all of them sprang,
being disgusted with the sinful life of his people,
drowned and dispersed most of the inhabitants
together with all the wild animals, and divided
the land into the present divisions and sub-
divisions. How far this legend has any bearing
upon the deluge that destroyed the world during
the time of Noah (Old Testament) or the <4 Great
Pralaya" that had swept the universe (old
myth) is worth considering. Further, the legend
states that the pangs of the inhabitants of the
mainland for their sudden separation from their
fellowmen were so keen that Kama, the Ruler
of Ayodhya, the hero of the Epic Ramayana,
first planned to connect India, with the un-
fortunate islands by constructing a huge bridge.
Though the Emperor could not carry out his
desire, Hanuman completed the work at a later
time at the more practical point which is now
known as Adams Bridge.

These islands are so closely situated that
they appear to overlap one another and hence
they have long been known as the " Great
Andaman". The Great Andaman consists of
five chief islands, the North Andaman, Middle
Andaman, South Andaman, Baratang Island
and Rutland Island. These five are separated
by four narrow straits : Austin, Homefreys,
Middle or Andaman Strait, and Macpherson
Strait. Besides these and Little Andaman in
the further south, a great many islands lie off
2

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

the shores of the mainland. The extreme
length of the group is 219 miles, the extreme
width 32 miles and the total area 2,508 square
miles.

There are great hills and valleys covered
by dense tropical jungle. The chief heights
are : Saddle Peak in the North Andaman,
Mount Diavalo in the Middle Andaman, Koiab,
Mount Hariett and the Cholunga in the South
Andaman and Ford's Peak in the Rutland
Island.

There are no rivers in the islands but a
few perennial streams flow here and there.

The coast line on both sides of the islands
is deeply indented, and there are a number of
safe harbours. The chief harbours of the South
Andamans on the east coast are: Port Meadows,
Colebrook Passage, Elphinstone Harbour,
Stewart Sound and Port Cornwallis. On the
west coast, Temple Sound, Interview Passage,
Port Anson, Port Campbell and Port Monst are
the important harbours. Shoal Bay and
Kotara in the South Andamans, and Outram
Harbour and Kwantang Strait in the Archi-
pelago, are the safe anchorages for sea-going
vessels.

The Indian Survey Department appointed
a Commission in 1883 under Col. J. R. Hobday.

3

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

They surveyed the Andamans and the outlying
islands topographically. This resulted in the
production of a number of maps. Thanks to
the efforts of Ritchie, Archibald Blair, Moosom,
Brooker, and Commander Carpenter who sur-
veyed the coasts at different periods, the marine
survey was completed and charts prepared to
serve as safe guides for the ships.

The islands are very picturesque, marvel-
lously bewitching and not a little awe-inspiring.
No amount of description of these islands can
do justice to them. Their beauty maddens the
soul like wine. They invite or a wait a Words-
worth, a Spenser or a Tagore to celebrate them
in immortal verse ; a Macaulay or a Thackeray
to praise their striking beauties in glorious
prose ; a Michael Angelo or a Raphael to depict
this tc fairy land " in glowing colours. I can
only attempt a layman's description of the
islands, babbling like a child-

They are everywhere strikingly beautiful,
beautiful as the dawn, compelling as the sun.
The coral beds of the bays are conspicuous for
their exquisite assortment of colour. The green
hills are piled up for miles together. The
chaotic mountains seem to rise almost from the
waters of the sea. When one stands on the
top of the hill, he looks around with wonder
at the tree-shaded valley in which lie the wild
jungles. Beyond these there are the perennial
4

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

tropical forests, noted for their tomblike silence.
Scarcely a sound is heard save the chirping of
birds in the branches of the trees or the patter-
ing of the deer as they run on to the green
pastures. The forests are either evergreen or
deciduous. In these forests are found many
varieties of useful trees. (The benefits of these
forests will be described in the second part of
the book).

The beauty of the islands increases de-
cidedly during the south-west monsoon. Then
all the hills are clad in foliage and vari-coloured
verdure right to the water-edge. Ferns and
creepers of all sizes interlace each other around
the trunks of the magnificent evergreen trees.
The long range of mist-capped hills are blue-
grey in the distance with the sky as a glorious
background. The ever-changing and brilliant
scenes sink into the very soul of the spectator.
Indeed! it provides a natural spectacle of
kaleidoscopic colour that is bewilderingly
bewitching.

Though the islands are situated in the
tropical region, the climate is temperate when
compared with that of islands in similar lati-
tudes, always warm but allayed by pleasant sea
breezes. They are exposed to both the mon-
soons and are subject to violent weather fluctu-
ations. The rainfall is irregular and varies
from year to year. The islands are practically

5

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

within the influence of every cyclone arising in
the Bay of Bengal, but, luckily they are not
much affected thereby. However, there are
visible even now some traces of the destructive
storm which blew between Stewart Sound and
Port Cornwallis in 1893. Similarly, though
the Andamans lie in the subterranean line of
weakness^ earthquakes of great violence have
not so far been recorded. The devastating
earthquakes which occurred recently in India
were not felt here at all.

CHAPTER II

Ancient Notices of the Islands and the
Charge of Cannibalism

PRIOR to the establishment of British Rule
in India, these islands were little known
to the people of India and even less to the out-
side world. Hence we have no authoritative
or continuous account either of the Andaman
Islands or of the Andamanese. Nevertheless,
owing to the antiquity of the trade route
between India and the other parts of the
world, mention has been made of these islands
by a few ancient writers who might have
seen them themselves or heard of them from
the sailors, merchants and others who had
passed by these islands, or had suffered at the
hands of these dark savages when their ships
were wrecked and they were forced by the
inclement \veather to take shelter on the in-
hospitable coasts of these islands. Kshendra,
the Kashmiri poet, in his "Bodhisathvavadana"
relates how, once, when Asoka was seated on the
throne at Pataliputra, some Indian merchants
who passed through these islands reported to
him their losses and the havoc caused by the

7

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

pirates, Nagas, who destroyed all their ships
and plundered all their treasure. One may
hazard the guess that the people referred to by
the merchants might be the black people of the
Andaman Islands.

For several centuries India carried on her
commercial relations with Greece, Rome,
Egypt, China and Japan. The last two
countries knew the islands in the first century
A.D., as Yeng-to-Mang and Andaman. Later
on, came a number of historians among whom
special mention should be made of Marco Polo,
Master Caesar Frederik and Nicola Conti.
Some travellers mention the name of the place
though in a distorted form. All the various
forms of the present name seem to have been
based on the Malay name for the islands. The
Malays had, for centuries, loaded their ships
with the Andamanese, taken them to distant
lands and sold them as slaves. They called
them " Handuman " which means etymologi-
calJy, the place of savages. Andaman means
" the land of the monkey-people ", the marked
antagonists of the Aryan immigrants into India.

Towards the end of the tenth century
South India, under the Cholas, saw a remark-
able outburst of naval activity under the strong
rule of a series of great Chola kings, such as
Raja Raja the Great, Rajendra Chola Deva 1
and Koluthunga. It was Rajendra Chola
8

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

Deva I, surnamed " Gangai Konda " who sent
his fleet across the Bay of Bengal and
conquered many kingdoms in the east. The
conquest of Pegu was followed by the
annexation of the Nicobar and Andaman
Islands, about the year 1025 A.D. The great
Tanjore inscription of 1050 A.D. mentions the
name of the islands in the translated form of
Timai Thevu (0M 0j), "The islands of
impurity " and as the abode of cannibals.

Hill-clad and sea-girt, these islands appear
to have been meant by Nature to be kept aloof
from the rest of the world, untouched by the
social, economic and political forces that stir
humanity abroad. With keen regret we note
that these islands situated so close to India,
the seat of many Empires, the land of culture
and civilization, the very centre or pivot of
the commercial world of the East, were
neglected by her and the inhabitants allowed
to continue as savages right down to our own
day. It is not because the Andaman Islands
are the seat of great Empires, wealth or
culture that they are conspicuous, but as a
mute witness of rare specimens of humanity.

Scholars have advanced many plausible
theories in trying to explain the origin of these
unhappy peoples. Some think that the Anda-
manese are the descendants of the older races
who lived in northern India prior to the coming

9

THE ANDAMAN INLANDS

of the Aryans who fought with them and drove
them eastwards and later on, still further across
the water. Others opine that these are the ab-
origines belonging to the Bamboo Age prior to
the Metal or Stone Age and that they are in no
way connected with the present people of any
land. Still others venture to say that these are
the descendants of ship-wrecked Africans.
Nothing can be more unlikely than this latter
opinion. No positive assertion about their origin
can, with any measure of certainty, be made.
Great scholars incline to the view that the
safest thing to say about them is that they are
the remnants of the Semangs and Aetas who
.once occupied the south-east of Asia and its
outlying islands.

The Andamanese are considered an " in-
ferior'' race destined to disappear like the
Tasmanians- They are looked down upon as
unintelligent and unpromising. Just a few years
ago they probably numbered some thousands,
but now they are dying out just like the
Maoris of New Zealand, the Polynesians and
Melavesians of the Pacific islands and the red-
skins of North America. The Andamanese
are the last relic of the primitive man. Their
unique position and complete isolation from the
rest of the world probably account for their
survival so far.

In the early days some Buddhist pilgrims
10

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

from China came to India, their Holy Land,
and eagerly searched for the sacred writings and
other relics of Buddhism- I-Tsing was one of
these and he has left a short account of these
people in the latter part of the seventeenth
century A.D. He describes them as follows :
" The men are entirely naked while the women
veil their person with some leaves. If the
merchants offer them clothes, they wave their
hands (to tell that) they do not use them.' 1

In India and China the collection of notes
by the early Arabs, during the middle of the
ninth century, substantiates the view of these
mariners and of others down to our own time.
They state: " The inhabitants of these islands
eat men alive- They are black with wooJly
hair and in their eyes and countenances there
is something quite frightful. They go naked.
They have no boats : if they had, they would
devour all who passed near them. Sometimes
ships wind-bound or with their store of water
exhausted, land here and apply to the natives
for a fresh supply ; in such cases the crew some-
times falls into the hands of the natives and
most of them are massacred. "

Marco Polo in the thirteenth century A-D.,
arid Master Caesar Frederik in the sixteenth
century A.D., also make the same statements.

The first writer, Marco Polo, states,

11

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

"Andaman is a very large island, not governed
by a king. The inhabitants are idolaters, and
a most brutish and savage race, having heads,
eyes, and teeth resembling those of canine
species. Their dispositions are cruel and every
person not of their own nation, whom they
can lay their hands upon, they will kill and

eat. "

Master Caesar Frederik says : " From
Nicobar to Pegu is, as it were, a row or chain
of an infinite number of islands, of which many
are inhabited by wild people ; and they call
those islands of Andemaon, and they call their
people savage or wild, because they eat one
another : also, these islands have war one with
another, for they have small barques, and with
them they take one another, and so eat one an-
other, and if by evil chance any ship be lost on
those islands, as many have been, there is not
one man of those ships lost there that escapeth
uneaten or unslain. These people have not
any acquaintance with other people, neither
have they trade with any, but live only of such
fruits as those islands yield. " *

The belief that these islanders were can-
nibals is not peculiar to India alone ; the Chi-

1 The Travels ofMatco Pu/o -Everyman's Library -Edited by
John Mabefield.

8 Master Caesar Frederik "Eighteen Years Indian Obser-
vations", Vol. II.

12

as
o

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

nese and many others believe them to be Ogres
or Rakshasas, even to-day. There are numerous
other statements made by many at different
times to the same effect. But an unbiassed
person who has visited the islands and collect-
ed first-hand information would refrain from
making such incredible statements about those
who are certainly innocent and who live and
die unknown and unseen. Some other writers
are not so extreme in their opinions but qualify
their statements by saying that they were can-
nibals once but have given up that habit since
the arrival of the British in their midst. Even
this is an exaggeration.

Be it noted that, though the natives at-
tacked and murdered every stranger who entered
their country, the charge of cannibalism made
against them is entirely the product of false
observations and hasty conclusions drawn with-
out sufficient reason. A close observation of
their customs and manners definitely proves
that this charge against these people is pal-
pably absurd.

13

CHAPTER III
Race, Religion and Language

The Andamanese, prior to the period of
their decimation, were divided into twelve
tribes or septs. Each tribe had its own
language, its special territory and hunting
grounds, which it jealously guarded against all
neighbouring tribes. The twelve tribes from
the North to the South are as follows:

Charior Kede Bea

Kora Jewai Balawa

Tabo Kol Onge

Yere Bojigyal Jarawa

Though the Andamanese are divided into
twelve tribes, yet if their standard of living,
the bows and arrows they use for hunting, the
canoes, ornaments, clothing, utensils, etc. are
taken as the criteria, they can be divided into
only 3 distinct groups, each having distinct
characteristics of its own. Or, in another
manner, according to the surroundings they
live in they can be divided into 2 more groups :
the Long-shore or A ryots, and Jungle Dwellers
or Eremetago.

Previous to the tribal warfare each tribe
or sept had its own territory or hunting ground
14

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

which it guarded with a dragon's jealousy.
Trespassing upon another's ground for food
or hunting was considered a serious offence
and led to bitter hostility. Incursions of this
sort were not uncommon among the tribes. A
great struggle took place between the Jarawas
and Aka-bea in 186C. The latter were de-
feated completely. They lost their property
and were driven away towards the south. As
a result of this inter-tribal warfare, the Aka-bea
sept lost many of its members. This produced
great hostility among the tribes. They ceased
to have any contact with strangers for a long
time but a good few, who were not connected
with the war, harboured no malice against
either the other Andamanese or the settlers,
and continued friendly relations with them.

Perhaps, it is on account of these frequent
incursions that towards the latter part of the
nineteenth century the tribes had no intercourse
with each other. Thanks to the influence and
unremitting efforts of Mr. E. H. Man, C.LE.,
the different tribes were brought together in
mutual acquaintance ; otherwise they would
still have continued strangers to one another.

The philologist finds it very difficult to
LANGUAGE classify the language of the
Andamanese. Different tribes
speak different languages which are agglutin-
ative. Their language helps them to express

15

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

only the simplest ideas. They make use of
prefixes and suffixes. The speakers invariably
find difficulty in expressing abstract ideas.
The speech is jerky, incomplete, elliptical and
disjointed. On the whole it is extremely
rudimentary and almost entirely dependent on
gesture for mutual comprehension.

The religion of the Andamanese is ani-
mism. The leading features of

. . .. . *-* -ji

this religion are summarised by
Mr. Risley: t( It conceives a man as passing
through life, surrounded by a ghostly company
of powers, elements, characters, shapeless
phantoms, of which no definite idea can be
formed. Some of these have spheres of their
own. One presides over Cholera, another over
Small -pox, still another over cattle diseases ;
some dwell in rocks, others haunt trees, while
still others are associated with rivers, whirl-
pools, waterfalls, etc. All of them must be
propitiated by reason of ills which proceed
from thein and usually the land of the village
provides the means for their propitiation. "

These Andamanese have great faith in
Puluga, an anthropomorphic deity whom they
believe descends from heaven and lives on the
top of the Saddle Peak, the highest mountain,
and is responsible for all things happening in
this world. The Andamanese dare not displease
him lest he should destroy the products of the
16

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

jungle and reduce them to a state of starvation.
He has a son and two daughters. The
daughters are his messengers and his orders
are conveyed to them by his son. They
believe that the great sun is the wife of the
moon and that the thousands of stars are the
children of the sun and the moon.

The Andamanese believe in the Trans-
migration of the soul, that the spirit of a person
after death goes down under the earth and
further passes to another jungle world, changes
itself into other beings and creatures and
occasionally visits its old haunts.

Eremchanga, who lives in forests, and
Juruwin, who lives in the sea, are the great
harmful spirits of whom the Andamanese are
afraid. Sometimes when Puluga is displeased
with any one he will point out the offender to
these spirits who will not allow him to escape
from punishment. Animals and birds are
credited with human capacities. Many a time
the convicts who are killed by the Jarawas
have been found lying with heavy stones placed
on their dead bodies. Sometimes stones are
found along the way by which the murderer
escaped. This indicates the warning given to
the birds not to betray the murderers who had
passed along the path.

They tattoo and paint their bodies in

17

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

several ways with clay, oil, etc., and such acts
are partly ceremonial. The material they use
and the design they adopt indicate sickness,
sorrow, festivity or the state of celibacy.

When a person dies, all his relations as-
FUNERAL semhle round the body and

CEREMONIES express their sorrow. They beat

AND CUSTOMS bitter]y

The dead are buried in a shallow grave, or
sometimes, as a mark of honour, the body is
bundled up and placed on a platform especially
prepared for it under a tree. They will deco-
rate the places surrounding the grave or the
platform with wreaths of cane-leaves, and then
desert the place : they will not visit it again for
three months. Mourning is observed very
rigorously by the relatives. They pay great
attention to the bones of the deceased because
they believe that they are the holy relics of
revered persons and that any person suffering
from disease will be cured by the mere applica-
tion of these mementos to the part affected.
Sometimes the widow, the widower or other
near relative wears the skull of the dead person
hanging down at the back. During the mourn-
ing period they smear the head with a kind of
grey clay and do not take part in dances or
other forms of mirth. When the mourning
period ends, there is a ceremonial dance and
the. smeared clay is removed. When the body
of the deceased is decomposed the bones are
18

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

taken up, washed and made into ornaments
to be worn by the relatives. The bodies of
children under three years of age are buried in
the parents' huts.

19

CHAPTER IV
Social Life and Government

To all outward appearance the Anda-
manese in general appear to be strong and
healthy, but their vitality is really low and
they pass away at a comparatively early age.
They rarely fall ill ; and when they do, they
recover in a short time. Deformity of any
kind is rare among them. The men are good-
looking and present a good appearance, but the
women are corpulent or thickset, ugly to
behold.

The Andamanese as a whole are fairly
intelligent, but their intelligence seems to wane
with the years- The cleverest among them
cannot count, and their ideas are always hazy
and inaccurate. Work soon fatigues them :
this leads to a physical break-down. Their
excellent memory partly compensates for their
poor intelligence as age advances. In a fit of
vainglory they may be industrious and per-
severing. They are keenly interested in games
and jokes ; too careless to heed dangers, but
very kind towards the aged, the weak, the poor
and needy and to those who are taken prisoners
in war. Men love their wives fondly and are
20

H

W

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

very proud of their children- The women as
they grow older, become more modest.

The Andamanese are heavy eaters. They

FOOD are co ^ efitors f fd and not culti-
vators of the soil- They eat all they
get, both on land and sea. The main feature
of the daily life of the tribe is the continual
search for food, Wild pigs, dugong, turtle and
fish, form their staple diet. These they always
obtain by means of hunting or fishing. They
eat cooked food, and like it very hot.

Mr. G- J. Bonington gives a vivid descrip-
tion of their shooting excursions. l When
shooting wild pigs, a peculiar type of arrow
was used, whereby when the arrow reached its
mark the head detached itself, connection with
the shaft being maintained by means of a rope,
made from the fibre of a species of tree
procured in the jungle. The shaft therefore
dragged along the ground, and catching in^the
dense under-growth, impeded the progress 'of
the pig which was instantly despatched.

4 ' Dugong and turtle are obtained by means
of a harpoon which has the same type of
detachable barbed-head, the rope in their case
being very much longer. The harpooncr
stands on the prow of the canoe, while his
companion, seated in the stern, slowly paddles
over the reef. As soon as the quarry is in
sight, the harpooner throws himself and the

21

AN&AMAN ISLANDS

harpoon at the animal, which, being struck,
makes off at a high speed, with canoe in tow.
As soon as it is exhausted, the canoe is brought
alongside the animal and in the case of a
dugong, is tightly bound to it to be despatched
when taken ashore, while turtles are merely
placed on their backs in the canoe. Great
dexterity and accuracy are shown in the shoot-
ing of fish which are often of considerable size.
Hooks are never used for these purposes.
When the dugong is despatched an incision is
made behind the shoulder and a pointed stick
driven into the heart, thereby causing instan-
taneous death. A pointed stick is also inserted
in the case of the turtle, through the eye to
the brain. "

Since the Andamanese are a nomadic type

DWELLINGS of P e P le > m ving from place to
place in continual search of food,
they rarely have any fixed habitation. How-
ever, they have temporary camps situated in
tljfeif* territories. They erect about fourteen
huts, capable of holding fifty to eighty persons,
and arrange them facing inwards on a ground
planned on the model of an oval, somewhat
irregular. They have a common dancing
ground around which other huts are built.
Close to every hut is a small platform where
surplus food is stored. Within the platform, fire
is very carefully tended, for when once it is extin-
guished they find it very difficult to light again.
22

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

The Jarawas and the natives of Little
Andaman build large, strong, permanent huts
of solid materials. Each hut has a hearth and
can accommodate about eight persons.

The Andamanese are very fond of games :
their favourite ones are
2MUSEM A E N N D TS " Blind-man's Bluff ", "Leap-
frog", and " Hide and Seek ".
Mock-hunts (pig and turtle), mock-burials and
ghost-hunts are some ot the sports in which
they take great delight. Friendly matches
are often arranged in swinging, throwing,
skimming, shooting and wrestling.

These people are good climbers, quick
walkers and fast runners and they can travel
long distances continuously. Of the Andam-
anese the Aryoto are the best swimmers and
are quite at home in the water. They can pole
and paddle canoes with great speed

Their nocturnal amusements consist ot
dancing and singing, and while dancing they
drum their feet rhythmically on a special
sounding board like a crusader's shield. They
sing songs and clap their hands on their thighs,
perhaps to keep time as well as to express their
emotions. Dancing usually takes place every
evening, and sometimes it will continue all
through the night, and on certain ceremonial
occasions it will go on for several nights.

23

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

Some of the early writers have given us a
MARRIAGE rat her unfair description of the
marital relations of the race, ascrib-
ing bestialty and promiscuity to them : the
truth is otherwise. It is the duty of the parents
or guardians to celebrate the marriages of their
children or wards and no doubt their customs
at times are somewhat complicated, but they
are as strictly observed as are those of civilised
communities. With regard to marriage they
observe no rigid caste system, inter-marrying
among different septs. Mr. M. C- C. Bonington,
who spent a great part of his life in the Anda-
mans, and moved closely in their midst, has
made a thorough study of their lives. He gives
an interesting account of the Onge marriage :

<c Marriage is usually exogamous, some-
times the wife goes and lives with the sept of
the husband and at other times the husband
with the sept of the wife. One or two cases
ao&uan record where man and wife are both of
the same sept. The Onges marry quite young,
being perhaps only ten or eleven years old and
not fully developed. The writer has on several
occasions witnessed a marriage. The cere-
mony was simple and it consisted in an elder
of the sept taking the wrist of his daughter and
placing it in the hands of the young man of
the visiting sept. The girl then became his
wife and he was free to take her away provided
the girl did not release herself and run away
24

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

into the interior, in which case she was free to
go back to her sept. This actually happened
in the writer's presence, much to the annoyance
of the would-be husband. A woman may be
a grandmother when she is thirty years old, or
even younger. The average age attained by
the healthy is perhaps not much more than
forty years, and persons known to the writer
thirty years ago as children, have within his
knowledge declined and died when they were
about forty years old

" To leave a wife appears to be a breach of
nrvnnri? tribal morality. The writer came

DIVORCE J , .. ,

across a case where a man deserted
his wife and went to live with another sept.
On his return to his own sept to live with his
former wife he was much scolded by an old
woman of the sept and was told to go away
again. "

They have no formal words, of anv.Mncf
SOCIAL for greeting or expressing tnanks.
CUSTOMS When two persons meet they only
stare at each other for a long time in silence.
Then the younger of the two will break the
ice by telling some news. If relatives meet,
they sit on each other's laps, huddled closely
together, and weep loudly. The custom is
otherwise with the Onges ; they meet silently
and shed a few tears, and caress each other
with the hands. Just before parting they take

25

THE A&DAMAN ISLANDS

each other by the hand and blow on 'it ex-
changing sentences of conventional farewell.

Prior to the birth of the children it is the
NAMING privilege of the mother to call the
CHILDREN child in the womb after one of the
twenty conventional names in a general way,
without any reference to the sex. After the
birth of the child the personal peculiarities are
noted, and a nick-name, which varies from time
to time, will be given to the male child.
Giving additional names to the girls takes a
longer time. They will be named after one of
the flowers which happens to be in full bloom
at the time they reach puberty. The names
are not used in addressing persons but are
mentioned only in speaking of the absent ones.

As has already been stated, hunting in
INDUSTRIES ^ day-time and dancing after
sun-set are the two principal
occupations^ of the Andamanese. All their
other efforts arise out of life-necessities. This
forces them to follow only certain industries.
They make their weapons, bows, arrows,
harpoons, spears, string, nets of string, mats,
unglazed circular cooking pots, bamboo baskets,
and canoes hollowed out of tree-trunks. They
make and wear ornaments of some rough
kind- Their implements consist of chipped
quartz flakes and natural stones; more recently
glass and iron pieces from wrecks are also used.
26

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

General E. H. Mann describes the system
, WWMmM _ Mrr of administration in a nutshell".

GOVERNMENT

government is " Communism modified by
authority''. This system was common to
many of the primitive tribes- Lt- Col. Sir
Richard Temple's description gives us a fair
knowledge of their tribal administration :

44 There is no idea of government ; but
each tribe and each sept has a recognised head
who has attained that position by tacit agree-
ment on account of some admitted superiority,
mental or physical, and commands a limited
respect and such obedience as the self-interest
of the other individuals of the tribe or sept
dictates. A tendency exists to hereditary right
in the natural selection of chiefs, but there is
no social status that is not personally acquired.
The social position of the chief's family follows
that of the chief himself, and admits of many
privileges in the shape of tribal influence and\
immunity from drudgery. His wile is" SLmohg*
women what he himself is among men ; and at
his death, if a mother and not young, she re-
tains her privileges. Age commands respect,
and the young are deferential tottheir elders.
Offences such as murder, theft, adultery, and
assault, are punished by the aggrieved party
either by injury to the body and property of
the offender, or by murder, without more
active interference on the part of others than is

27

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

consistent with their own safety, and without
any fear of consequences except vengeance from
the friends of the other side, and even this is
usually avoided by a wise disappearance till the
short memory of the people has obliterated
wrath.

" Property is communal, as is all land, and
ideas as to individual possessions are but rudi-
mentary, accompanied with an incipient taboo
of the property belonging to a chief. An An-
damanese will often part readily with orna-
ments to any one who asks for them. Theft or
taking property without leave is only recognized
as to things of absolute necessity, as arrows,
pork, or fire. A very rude barter exists between
tribes of the same group in regard to articles
not locally obtainable or manufactured. This
applies particularly to cooking-pots, which are
made of a special clay found only in certain
parts of the islands. Barter is really a gift of

'one article in expectation of another of assum-
^^i^j -*Tf **'*

^occrrespoTiding value in return, and disputes
occur if it is not forthcoming. The territory
of other tribes is carefully respected, without,
however, there being any fixed boundaries. "

28

PART II

CHAPTER I

The History of the British Occupation
of the Islands

THE command of the seas acquired by the
Portuguese at the end of the fifteenth
century and ultimately inherited by the British,
has destroyed the isolation of India. Since then
the sea has become a bond of union and not
a barrier of separation, India and the islands
adjacent to the peninsula being brought nearer
to their central position along the trade routes
of India, Burma and the Far East. The
excellent harbours in the Andaman Islands'
serve both as refuges in the monsoons" 'HffcTag
places to replenish the water supply. ButTITe
natives of the islands were a great menace to
the mariners. The ship-wrecked and distressed
crew often suffered very much at the hands of
the Arfdamanese. The grievances of such
sufferers were often reported to the East India
Company.

The authorities in Calcutta under Lord

29

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

Cornwallis, the then Governor-General, thought
over the matter very seriously and finally re-
solved to put an end to such depredations.
They sent the great surveyor Lt. Archibald
Blair with Lt. Colebrook in 1788 to survey the
islands and start a settlement to prevent the
" Rakshasas " from attacking the ships.

Lt. Blair and his party left Calcutta,
reached the islands and selected as the site
of their first settlement the harbour which
now bears his name. He then proceeded to
establish the settlement, and with about 200
recruits whom he had brought along with him,
started the laborious operation by clearing
the impenetrable forests. In a short time he
cleared one of the islands inside the harbour
which he called Chatham. Perhaps it was
named after Pitt the Elder, the famous Prime
Minister of England, whose impassioned elo-
quence, unswerving honesty, contempt for job-
bery and politicians' tricks of trade, won Blair's
^^ ' ration.

It was a good beginning, for the result
was encouraging. Some forest lands were
cleared, roads were cut on the mainland, and
though there were occasional difficulties be-
tween the early settlers and the Andamanese,
yet they were not of a serious nature. On the
whole, the relations with the aborigines were
of a semi-friendly nature.
30

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

In the year 1790 Admiral Cornwallis,
brother of Lord Cornwallis, and command--
er of the East India squadron, while passing
through the North Andaman, noticed that
the north-east harbour seemd a very safe
place for ships, so he strongly recommend-
ed that the settlement in the south should
be shifted to this place. The Board of
Control approved the recommendations, and
final orders were served to Blair to trans-
fer the original settlement to the north-east
harbour. He named the new settlement
Port Cornwallis. Owing to the superior
harbour facilities it was first considered an
excellent naval base for the East India Com-
pany. In order to establish an arsenal and
refilling station Captain Kyd, an able engi-
neer, was appointed as the Superintendent of
Port Cornwallis. Blair, after handing
over charge to the Captain, proceeded furthur
to the Nicobars to complete the survey of those
islands

In the North Andaman the tribes were
found less troublesome ; the weather conditions
suited the settlers. The new settlement soon
flourished and had a promising future ahead of
it. Captain Kyd wrote to the authorities in India
to select and send about 200 strong and healthy
convicts from Indian jails to help them clear
the jungles and develop the natural resources
of the land.

31

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

While things were thus progressing the
long war between France and the other
European nations began in 1793. England
was involved in this great struggle, and in
India the immediate result was the capture of
Pondicherry and other French settlements.
Tippu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore, became a
formidable enemy of the English, especially
on account of his alliance with the Sultan of
Turkey and Louis XVI of France. These
alliances of Tippu confirmed the suspicions in
the minds of the English. Captain Kyd made
certain recommendations regarding the forti-
fication of the harbour, and when things were
delayed he himself went to Calcutta to push on
the scheme.

No sooner had the Captain left the place
than danger and hardships beset the new
settlers. The colonists suffered terribly from
sickness , the death rate increased alarmingly
and the conditions grew so serious that it was
rfecessary to abandon the settlement.

Finally, orders were issued in 1796 to
abolish Port Cornwallis for good. Of the
820 persons who were there at that time 270
convicts were sent away to Pnnang, and the
rest, who were not convicts returned to Bengal.

With a view to controlling these islands
the Board provided for a ship to be kept at
32

ft"

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

Port Cornwallis during a certain part of the
year, to advertise the fact that the islands
still belonged to the East India Company and
ultimately to the Crown. For the next sixty
years however, the islands were really badly
neglected and consequently lapsed into the
original barbaric conditions. Once again in
1824, just before the First British-Burmese
War, the British fleet was stationed at Port
Blair. Learning that the troops had left the
islands the Andamanese renewed their attack,
captured the ships, murdered the crew and
plundered the ships. The havoc wrought by
the savages was so great that once again re-
presentations were sent to Calcutta requesting
the governing body to make some arrangements
to put an end to this evil. At length, in the
year 1855, the attention of the Honourable
Court of Directors in London was drawn to
these outrages which were being committed by
the inhabitants of the islands. In a memoran-
dum, addressed to the Governor-General in
Council, the Hon'ble Court of Directors &?'
quested him to take the necessary action, and
the Government of Bengal was called upon to
suggest measures for the protection of the
British subjects who were stranded upon those
shores.

The Lt. Governor of Bengal after consult-
ation with the Government of Burma submitted
a report which contained detailed proposals

33

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

drawn up by Captain Hopkinson, who definitely
recommended these islands as an ideal place for
the establishment of a penal settlement. It
was according to this plan that the present
penal settlement was eventually founded.

34

CHAPTER II
History of the Penal Settlement

IN 1856 the Court of Directors asked the
Governor-General in Council to send a
competent man to explore the islands and select
a suitable site for the establishment of the
penal settlement recommended by Captain
Hopkinson. On account of the severe weather
conditions the voyage was postponed until
after the south-west monsoon. Meanwhile,
the great Indian Mutiny broke out, in May
1857, and the proposed penal settlement was
forgotten for a time. The out-break was
quelled, the mutineers were put down and a
large number of them were taken prisoners.
The government found that it was necessary to
seek a place outside of India to settle the dis-
turbing element, The authorities then recalled
the forsaken islands-

The Mutiny had swept away the greatest
commercial company known in the history of
the world, but one of the last acts of their Court
of Directors was to confirm the proceedings of
the Governor-General in Council for the es-
tablishment of a penal settlement. The Anda-

35

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

man Commission, which was appointed in
1857f under the presidentship of Dr. F. J.
Mouat, visited the Andamans, and submitted
an able and exhaustive report- The recom-
mendations made in the report were approved
of and acted upon. Port Cornwallis, where
Archibald Blair first established the settlement,
was the site selected ; it was re-named Port
Blair, which name it still bears.

Captain Mann f who acted as the Governor
of the Straits Settlement, was deputed by the
Government of India to proceed to Port Blair
to take possession of these islands. But the
actual work was carried out by Dr. J. P. Walker.

Dr. Walker, the first superintendent of
the penal settlement, was a man of vast ex-
perience who enjoyed a splendid reputation
for the management of convicts on account of
his efficient work in the Indian Jails. He left
Calcutta on the 4th March 1858, in a frigate
called " Semiramis ", with two hundred con-
victs and a guard of fifty men of the old naval
brigade. After his arrival he commenced the
clearing work on Chatham, but owing to the
scarcity of water he was forced to give up
work here and started the clearing on Ross
Island where the headquarters of the settle-
ment were established and still remain. At
the end of three months the number of convicts
had increased to 773, but after some time
36

HUSBAND AND WIFE
The woman with a pattern of clay all over her body

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

there were only 481. Of this number many
escaped, some died in the hospitals and others
were hanged. The Superintendent has been
criticised by the public for his unnecessarily
harsh and repressive measures.

From a careful study of the records dealing
with the conditions of that time I am inclined
to the opinion that Dr Walker was really
forced to be a severe disciplinarian. We have
to take into account the different kinds of
convicts, their unruly spirit, the time in which
they lived, and the nature of the guards who
followed them about and forced them to work.

These convicts were desperate rebels most
of whom knew that they would never again
see their native land or meet the members of
their families. Bitter experience had taught
them that they had been taken out to work in
the jungles, subjected to severe discipline and
exposed to the attacks of the savages. The
horrors of the Mutiny were still fresh in their
minds, they longed for freedom but they knew
that it was only a dream. Hence they finally
resolved to have recourse to desperate measures
for escape and, if they proved unsuccessful, to
defy the orders, wreak vengeance on the
authorities and to abscond from the islands.

As for the guards, they were only in-
experienced recruits. Their main duty was to

37

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

extract work from the prisoners, some of whom
were not the ordinary type of convict. But a
few months before, some of them had been
respected and honoured citizens whom the
people at large looked upon as leaders of the
country. It was by sheer accident that they
had fallen into the hands of those guards.
Sometimes they jeered at the position of the
guards who realized that these men were wait-
ing for an opportunity to pounce upon them.
The worst of it all was that the convicts who
were transported to these islands at the close
of the Mutiny were not confined inside the
four walls of the prisons, as is usually the case
in India, but were allowed to work in gangs in
the open air. Naturally the position of the
guards was really very awkward : as they were
few in number they were in mortal danger
every moment and therefore must have often
felt their positions reversed. From their action
and attitude it seemed as though they had en-
listed themselves in the ranks of the " safety
first " regiment in the interests of their families,
though not in their own. Consequently they
were quite evidently at the mercy of the
convicts. Finally, the few ex-seamen who
were there, belonged for the most part, to the
merchant class ; they were to a great extent
lawless, not amenable to discipline, and the
superintendent had very little hope of help
from these persons in case of trouble. Under
these circumstances, Dr. Walker was really
38

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

forced to adopt severe measures in order to
maintain discipline and prevent the convicts
from escaping. However, with due regard for
his long experience and good reputation, we
must admit that Dr, Walker failed to realise
that it was not possible to maintain the same
degree of discipline among these desperate
convicts working in groups or batches in
jungles as could be insisted upon inside the
four walls of a jail in India or Burma.

Dr. Walker, placed as he was under such
adverse circumstances, was not discouraged by
the magnitude of the task which confronted him-
He applied for a fresh group of convicts and
received about 1,000. After the battle of
Aberdeen, however, Dr. Walker sent in his
resignation and was succeeded by Col. J. C.
Haughton in October 1859.

Col. Haughton was a sympathetic, kind-
hearted man who used more humane methods
of treatment towards the convicts than did
his predecessor. He soon endeared himself
to the convicts and all with whom he had
to deal- In 1861 the administration was
transferred from the control of the Government
of India to that of the Chief Commissioner of
Burma, and in 1862 Col. Haughton was
succeeded by Col- Tytler.

The new Superintendent fortunately

39

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

continued his predecessor's humane methods.
The relations with the Andamanese were im-
proving and more lands were brought under
cultivation. The islands of Ross, Chatham,
Viper and others were cleared and made fit
for human habitation. Lord Napier of
Magdala visited the islands in 1863 and in a
memorandum he recommended a scheme of
re-organisation.

During the time of the next Superintendent,
Col. Ford, the number of convicts increased
from 3,294 to 6,965 while the area of cultiva-
tion was also increased. He was succeeded in
1863 by General E. H. Mann, who had been
deputed, ten years earlier, to annex the settle-
ment. This officer had served the government
for a long time and had acquired great
experience. He decided to introduce the penal
system which was in force in the Straits
Settlements the system which was founded
by Sir Stamford Raffles. This was the foun-
dation of all furthur jail rules and improvements
in the settlements.

This period is one of very great import-
ance in the history of the penal settlement
Many important and far-reaching changes were
introduced in the system of administration. The
obscure islands were brought into prominence.
The convicts were treated sympathetically, the
death rate was reduced and the healthy
40

TtiE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

conditions of the inhabitants ^indicated the
general improvement in the settlement. In 1869
the settlement was transferred back to the con-
trol of the Government of India.

In 1871 Lord Mayo, the Viceroy of India,
drew up a scheme of reform for the improve-
ment of the penal settlement and had a great
desire to make it a self-supporting colony.
When his scheme was ready he had to find an
able man who could work it out with enthu-
siasm and energy. His choice fell on General
Stewart (afterwards Field Marshal Sir D.
Stewart) who was made Superintendent that
same year. The Viceroy directed the new
Superintendent to pay special attention to cul-
tivation and cattle breeding, to use the timber
grown on the islands instead of importing it,
and to do all that was necessary to make the
islands self-supporting. It was with a view to
examining the practical working of his scheme
that Lord Mayo went himself to visit the is-
lands in 1872. But he was not destined to see
the fruits of his arduous labour. *

It is gratifying to note the generous spirit
of the Government in allowing the scheme pro-
posed by the Viceroy, who sacrificed himself
for the cause of the settlement, to be carried on
to commemorate his memory.

* Refer to the last chapter for details of Lord Mayo's visit and
death.

41

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

In 1872 the administration was raised to
the rank of a chief commissionership and in 1874
the "Andaman Regulation" was drafted. For
the administration of Justice the settlement
was placed under the Governor-General of
India, instead of under the High Court of Cal-
cutta. Further the regulation contained a
provision that life-term convicts might be re-
Jeased after 20 or 25 years of penal servitude if
they behaved well during that time.

In 1875, General Barwell succeeded Gen-
eral Stewart. The following year, a new and
improved Andaman-Nicobar regulation was
framed which superseded the previous one.
During General Harwell's time epidemics of a
severe type destroyed many of the islanders.

Col. T. Cadell, V. C. came into office in
1879. He directed much of his attention to
the improvement of agriculture and of the
forests. During his time the settlement was
extended considerably. Large areas of land
were cleared, mangrove swamps were reclaimed,
the health of the people and conditions in
general improved. Good roads were con-
structed ; the cocoanut plantation was extended.
Thus the economic development of the place
began. It was during Col. Cadell's time that
the released convicts began to settle in the
Andamans with their families and thus a free
population began to grow in size and prosperity.
42

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

In 1890, the Lyall-Lethbridge Commission
visited the islands to investigate the penal
system. Many changes took place as a result
of their report. The cellular jail was built,
4C free 71 and u convict " districts were marked.
There was a great change in the place a
change from an almost purely agricultural state
into a largely industrial one.

Mr. Horseford became the chief com-
missioner in 1892. An unfortunate incident
during his term of office was that he was
attacked and nearly killed by a convict. In
spite of this he carried out the reforrrs suggest-
ed by the Lyall-Lethbridge Commission.

Sir Richard Temple was the next Com-
missioner and continued in office until 1903.
The improvements effected during his time
were far-reaching- The Phoenix Bay dockyard
and workshops were considerably enlarged and
the great reclamation of the south point swamp
was begun.

During the time of Col. Douglas, the
Jail ? s Committee Report was framed in which
was suggested the abolition of the Andamans as
a penal colony. The forest colony, which was
started during his time in the North Andaman,
was closed down in 1931. Thousands of acres
of land were taken for a cocoanut plantation
which now yields a good annual incorce.

43

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

During the administration of Col. Beadon
(1920-23) orders were received from the
Government of India to close down the penal
settlement. Except for about 1,400 Mappilas
and Punjabis, no more convicts were received-
The unmarried women-convicts were sent back
to India. Barracks were closed down and a
retrenchment of the staff took place.

Col. Ferror succeeded Col. Beadon. He
introduced several changes and planned many
things (which are explained in the course of the
book) in order to hasten the abolition of the
penal settlement. The present Chief Com-
missioner, with the help of the Deputy and
Assistant Commissioners, works unceasingly
towards the development and enriching of the
islands- It is hoped that the present adminis-
trative head will do much to push the scheme
very near to the desired goal.

44

CHAPTER III
The Convicts

THE convicts who were transported from all
parts of India and Burma to Port Blair
by the Government, were, in the nature of
things, either murderers who had escaped the
death penalty, or habitual criminals, convicted
of the more heinous offences against persons
and property. The majority of them were
serving life sentences and a few long terms.
These hardened criminals were being sent from
time to time to the settlement. The convicts,
however, were not sent indiscriminately: only
those were transported who were over 18 and
under 45 years of age, and who were found
physically fit for hard labour. Youths who
were between 18 and 20 were formed into a
special batch known as "Boys' Gang" and
their work was less arduous. Female convicts
were also received. There were no special
rules for them. They were kept in the female
jail, a large enclosure consisting of separate
sleeping wards and work sheds. For the first
ten years the convicts were compelled to wear
a special kind of dress.

15

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

The Government was very scrupulous in
maintaining the caste system of the convicts.
Precautions were taken not to allow any kind
of illegitimate association that would tend to
destroy the caste feeling among them. Cases
of low caste people who had pretended to be of
higher caste in order to raise their social
status, were detected and the culprits punished.

The penal system in the Andamans is
sui-generis; it has grown up along its own
lines and gradually adapted itself to the re-
quirements of the place and the convenience
of the convicts.

As we have seen before, there was a time
during the administration of Dr. Walker when
very severe methods seemed absolutely ne-
cessary. Later on a change of policy adopting
milder forms of punishment brought about such
abuses that the authorities Were compelled once
more to revert to stricter discipline. However,
the sole aim of the authorities has always
been to reform the criminal by a gradual re-
laxation of discipline and putting before him
the prospect of a semi-free, self-supporting life
after serving one-half the period of his sentence.

The convicts in the settlement were classi-
DIVISION fi e< 3 in various ways, but the basis
OF THE of division was generally economic,
CONVICTS According to this system all the
46

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

convicts, irrespective of sex, were divided into 2
groups: labouring and self-supporting convicts.
The labouring convicts had to perform all
kinds of skilled and unskilled labour in the
settlement, while the self-supporting convicts,
tilled the soil to raise crops and obtain the
food supplies to a certafn extent. These two
groups were each subdivided into four graded
classes according to the duration of their
sentences. Their promotion after a definite
period of service depended upon their good
behaviour. On the contrary, they were de-
moted when they were found misbehaving.
The convicts who were raised to the first class
were selected as "sirdars" or " tindals", and
appointed as petty officers with a certain
amount of power over their fellow convicts.

The convicts when they arrived in the
settlement were kept in the chief jail called
the cellular jail for six months There they
were subjected to strict discipline, and forced
to perform various kinds of work such as
making coir, extracting cocoanut oil and similar
occupations. During the night they were con-
fined to a solitary cell. If their conduct was
satisfactory they would be promoted after six
months from the fourth class to the third class.
The third class men were enlisted in gangs
and would be allowed to work outside the jails
and sleep in the barracks at night. After
working for about 4 years and a half they

47

:iJE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

might be promoted to the second class. The
second class convicts either served as petty
officers or entered domestic service ; still they
were not entitled to any payment. Rations
would be supplied to them. After having
served here for a further period of five years
they were promoted to the first class. The
convicts belonging to this" class were entitled
to self-supporters' tickets. The holder of this
ticket was allowed many privileges. He was
free to seek his own livelihood; he might own
property; he would be permitted to send for
his wife and children, or if he was still a
bachelor or widower he would be allowed to
choose a wife from among the female convicts
and spend the remaining period of his life in a
peaceful manner.

After serving for about five years, the
women convicts who were found fit to be
wives were allowed to marry. On certain
days the men belonging to the first class were
allowed to go to the female jail to select their
wives. There the women who were considered
eligible for marriage were sent out on " parade "
before the waiting bridegrooms. After selec-
tions were made application had to be sent to
the Superintendent for permission to marry.
Careful inquiries were then made about the
man's early life and if the result of the investi-
gation proved satisfactory he was given per-
mission by the authorities to marry, The
48

w
w
a

u
o

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS'

marriage had to be celebrated in accordance
with the religious customs of the contracting
-.parties. A Hindu was not permitted to marry
a Mahomedin and vice versa. After the
marriage ceremony was over, the parties
appeared before the Superintendent for regis-
tration. Contracting/' parties other than
Hindus had very "little to be settled before

marriage.

/

In those days, though the men were
allowed to send to India for their wives, many
did not avail themselves of the privilege, and
the wives of those who did send seldom con-
sented to join the husband. Hence marriages
between the convicts were not uncommon.

All the convicts were not invariably and
unconditionally promoted and it was not
everyone who enjoyed these privileges. Those
who misbehaved, the fanatics, the convicts
who were found mentally unbalanced, and
some others, were either confined to jails or
made to work in separate gangs where they
were subjected to the strictest discipline.

Since the proposals to abolish the convict
settlement have been made, the system of
treatment as well as living conditions have
changed very much. At the present time the
conditions prevailing in the settlement are
fairly satisfactory and no serious acts of mis-

49

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

conduct have been committed PI recent years.
In May, 1933 a hunger strike, on a large scale,
broke out among the " terrorist ' convicts in
the Cellular Jail ; the ordinary j risoners did
not join in the strike which lasted for about
six weeks. The strikers showed great deter-
mination at first but when they were convinced
that their grievances would be considered only
on condition that the strike would be aban-
doned, they finally gave in. Since then no
further trouble has occurred.

Those who are acquainted with the strict
rules of prisons in India, as well as in other
countries, will be surprised to note how these
convicts who have just escaped the gallows
are treated in a manner quite contrary to that
of systems prevailing elsewhere. It is really a
new departure. As Sir Henry Craik, the
Home Member to the Government of India,
recently remarked, " the punishment was not
imprisonment but only banishment from
home".

50

CHAPTER IV
Relations W^K th^ Andamanese

IT is not known with any degree of certainty
how or when the aborigines first entered
the islands : they seem to have been there
from time immemorial. They were hostile to
all who tried to land on the islands, and when
they saw the British clearing the forests to
settle on their lands they spared no pains to
oust the invaders.

Ever since they landed in the Andamans
the British tried by various methods to
establish friendly relations with the aborigines.
Lt. Colebrook who accompanied Lt. Blair
made friends with some of the Jarawas and
even prepared a vocabulary of their language.
In spite of these semi-friendly terms there were
occasional difficulties between the settlers and
the Andamanese. During the period of
abandonment the savages continued their
barbaric attacks on the crews. After the
establishment of the penal settlement and
prior to the appointment of Col. Tytler, there
was much bloodshed on both sides. The policy
of the Government was, " to adhere strictly to

51

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

a conciliating hiie of conduct", and, -< to
absolutely prohibit apy aggression upon the
Andamanese and not to allow Ibrce on any
account to be resorted to unless it^be absolutely
necessary to repel their attacks. "; But in the
early days it was found very difficult to act on
the lines prescribed. ''The attacks made by
the Andamanese became more and more
frequent and determined in character On the
4th May, 1858, the battle of Aberdeen took
place. The Andamanese had prepared well for
the battle. But their plans were betrayed by a
convict named Duth Nath Tewari who after
running away from the settlement, had joined
the savages and was protected by them. Just
a day before the battle opened, this man
deserted their camp, reached the settlement
and revealed the secret to Dr. Walker who
made due preparations to meet the enemies.

The Andamanese attacked the settlement
in spite of the precautions and the preparations
made by the settlers and took possession of the
Aberdeen station. They remained there loot-
ing for hours but they were finally defeated
and driven off. In appreciation of the services
rendered by Duth Nath Tewari he was granted
absolute release.

The Government was most anxious that
attempts should be made to establish friendly
relations with these people.
52

ANDAMAN WOMAN

ANDAMAN ISLANDS

The Rev. H. Corbyn, Chaplain at Port
Blair, had made strenuous efforts to get on
friendly terms with the savages, and thanks to
him some of them were induced to visit the
settlement in 1863. They built huts on Ross
Island which* later came to be known as the
" Andaman Home ". The Indian Government
granted a monthly allowance of Rs. 100/- for its
upkeep. This institution helped a great deal in
bringing the savages nearer to the civilised
settlers.

Lord Napier of Magdala visited the islands
and appreciated Mr- Corbyn's work to such an
extent that he recommended that fuJl approba-
tion should be given to the Rev. Chaplain and
that the monthly allowance should be increased
to Rs. 200;'-. With this encouragement, Mr.
Corbyn tried in many ways to civilise the
savages. Among other things he founded an
orphanage w-here boys were taught English,
Urdu and Arithmetic; this however, was a
complete failure, as the children had no taste
for learning, and some years later it was a
closed down since it was empty most of the
time. Illness broke out in the settlement and
many ran away. Col. Ford found out that
such measures as were adopted by Rev. Corbyn
to civilise these people was a bit too cruel to be
followed by him ; hence Mr. Corbyn resigned
his charge as head of the Home.

Mr. Homefray, within a period of 10 years,

53

THE ANDAMAN 1SI

succeeded in bringing many of the outlying
tribes into contact with the settlement. The
Home was now shifted to the mainland. The
aborigines proved to be not only friendly but
also useful in capturing run-aways. They
worked in boats, looked after the gardens,
grazed the cattle, reared pigs and brought in
the edible birds' nests, trepang and other forests
produce. It was now discovered, however, that
many of the children who were born in the
settlement died within a week, so that it
finally became evident that, on account of
their having come in contact with civilization,
the race was fast becoming extinct.

Mr. Tuson took charge of the Home in
1874 and in addition to the one in Aberdeen,
started a number of others in suitable places
and put convicts-supervisors in charge of them.
The establishment of these Homes proved
helpful in controlling the movements of the
runaways. In 1875 Mr- E. H. Mann succeeded
Mr. Tuson and was in charge of the Home for
about 10 years, His work in the interest of
the savages and the science of anthropology
was most praiseworthy. It is due to his un-
tiring efforts that we possess an accurate and
extensive knowledge of the people and their
languages. He worked for years to establish
friendly relations not only between the Anda-
nnanese and the settlers, but also between the
various tribes. It was Mr. Mann who found out
54

ANDAMAN ISLANDS

for the first time that the Andamanese were
suffering frcxn syphilis. He made every effort
to check the further spread of the disease* but
without success. It had taken a strong hold
on the race and all efforts to stop its ravages
proved fruitless. Measles appeared in the
settlement in an epidemic form and hundreds
died as a result of it. Afterwards the Anda-
manese confessed that many who were found
suffering were killed by their fellowmen in
order to check the further spread of the disease.
At the same time pneumonia appeared and,
added to this, ophthalmia also broke out in an
epidemic form. Mr. Mann laboured in their
midst to alleviate their sufferings and preserve
their lives. But unfortunately his efforts
proved futile. Portman estimates that at least
one-half the population in the great Andaman
fell a prey to these diseases. Results proved
that too close contact of the Andamanese with
civilisation was altogether harmful to the race
as a whole, and any further attempt to induce
them to give up their nomadic life and settle
down to regular occupation, was abandoned.

Mr. Portman took charge of the Home in
1879 and he noticed that the population was
reducing very rapidly. More than 130 persons
suffering from syphilis were admitted into the
hospital and it was found that the disease was
hereditary. He took a great interest in the
welfare of these poor people. A Home was

55

THE ANDAMAN I:

established in his own compound. He was in
constant touch with them , the Andamanese
appreciated his work and began visiting the

settlement very freely.

1 i

The sick and death-r^te being very high,
the Home was transferred to another pJace
called Haddo. Syphilis had further worked
great havoc. It is said that in the Middle
Andaman and Stewart Sound, corpses were seen
lying in huts, there being no one left to bury
them. It became quite evident that the ex-
tinction of this branch of the race was fast
approaching.

The death rate in the Home exceeded the
birth rate year by year and it was further found
that almost every child died within a few weeks
after its birth The authorities decided to
send the women from the Andaman Home to
their native places in the jungles where living
in their own surroundings they might become
healthier themselves and hence the children
likewise would be mote healthy. Afterwards
Mr- Portrnan, The Deputy Commissioner took
over the charge of the Home and he appointed
special officers to look after it.

In 1903 Mr. M. C. C. Bonington took over
the executive charge of the Home and about
140 Andamanese were maintained there-
Attempts were made to sever all contact with
56

MDAMAN ISLANDS

the settlement. Subsequently, owing to the
re-organisatipn of the settlement, there was no
officer left to take special care of the Anda-
manese. Mr. Honington took charge of the
Home once again in 1931. He loved these
people so much and took such a keen interest
in their welfare that he became known to many
as 4 the father of the Andamanese ". In spite
of his earnest work to better their lot, he could
not do anything to increase the population or
to eradicate the disease which continued to
make such ravages among them. Many of the
men were found completely sterile. During
Mr. Bonington's time there were children born
of Andamanese women and convicts of the
settlement. It is very doubtful whether any
person of pure Andamanese blood will be left
to see the coming century but their natne will
be left behind for history.

It is a fact to be noted that the well-
wishers of the race had opened the Andaman
Home with the object of establishing a close
relationship with the settlers and extending to
them all the benefits of civilisation, educating
and preserving them longer in the world But
their good efforts proved futile. The German
anthropologist Von Eickstedt, who visited the
Andamans recently remarked, " the Andaman
Home was the door of death for the Anda-
manese ". The statement is true ; the
authorities also seem to have realised the

57

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

truth, but only when it was too late. Other-
wise, they would have followed <in altogether
different policy.

At present there is a Jarawa' boy at the

Catholic School in Ranchi. He is now about
12 years old and is studying in the High School.
He was found by Captain West's party in the
Jarawa area. He is strong, healthy and
apparently happy. Sometimes, he shows a
violent temper and during those fits he eats
earth. He is progressing well in his studies
and it is hoped that he will return to the Anda-
mans one day as a petty official, but perhaps
also to see and mourn the loss of his race.

58

CHAPTER V
Around Port Blair

AT present the Andaman Islands form one of
the minor provinces of the Government
of India and are administered by a Chief
Commissioner. The Chief Commissioner is
assisted by a Deputy Commissioner \vho looks
after the administrative work of the settlement
in general. There are two Assistant Com-
missioners. One of them is the Revenue
Commissioner who looks after the affairs of
the revenue and the li free " citizens. The
other is the Settlement Commissioner who is
in charge of the convicts who are outside the
central jail. The jail Superintendent is in
charge of all the convicts who are in the
cellular jail. There are besides police, medical,
forest and other departments. Civil and cri-
minal justice is administered by a series of
courts. There are some honorary magistrates
to help the administration. The adminis-
tration of the penal settlement centres round
the harbour of Port Blair. Ross, an islet Jess
than a mile in area, is the administrative
headquarters. Previously the settlement was
divided into two districts, each of which had a
number of sub-divisions. On the mainland there
are more than 60 villages. The sub-divisions

59

THE ANDAMAN 1SLA \

and the distribution of villages between the
districts have varied from time to time and at
present, owing to rapid improvements, the
previous system of divisions and their ad-
ministration is not so closely observed.

Ross, the administrative centre, is a
beautiful island. The Chief Commissioner
and some other important officials reside here.
The government houses, the barracks for
troops and offices are also situated here.
There are two beautiful churches. A temple
was recently completed and it is gratifying to
note that His Highness the Maharaja of
Mysore was pleased to donate a good sum to-
wards its construction and an annual grant for
its upkeep. The general Hospital under the
Senior Medical Officer, Captain Choudry,
I. M.S., is a large one to which has been added
an X-ray department. The settlement club is
a beautiful building facing the sea. There is a
concert hall where dances, orchestral entertain-
ments and social functions are often held.
The temple club is meant for the Indian
officials and is situated in a good place and
well furnished. Many social and literary
activities are conducted here regularly. Both
the temple and the settlement clubs contain
good libraries. Apart from these two, the
jailers' library can boast of hundreds of volumes
and also subscribes to a number of newspapers
and periodicals- Here there is a beautiful light-
60

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

bouse and an aquarium. Electricity has been
installed in Ross and at nights when the lights
are turned on it looks, from the neighbouring
islands, like a huge decorated car floating on

the sea.

Aberdeen, on the mainland, is the com-
mercial centre. It "Is a smalltown having a
broad central street on either side of which
there are large prosperous shops ; around these
fine houses have been built. Many of the
government offices are located in Aberdeen.
The cellular jail is situated here on an
elevated place facing the sea. Sir Harry Haig
has compared it to a palace on the Malabar
Hill in Bombay. This is the first sight that
greets the eye of the visitor upon his arrival,
at Port Blair. When the prisoners arrive from
India they are all kept here for a few months,
with the exception of political convicts, who
are known as permanently incarcerated convicts.
At present there are about 300 of these.

The cellular jail contains 700 cells one for
each prisoner. Each cell is about 7i feet wide
and 13i feet long, and has a door with iron
grating in the front and a window at the back.
The ground floor cells have ventilating shafts.
Each cell has an electric light. The prisoners
are allowed to play certain outdoor and indoor
games. There is a library in the cellular jail
which consists of thousands of volumes.
61

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

Apart from this the prisoners are provided with
certain weeklies and dailies such as the
"Illustrated Weekly ", the "Times of India ",
the " Statesman ", the " Andaman Bulletin "
and " Sangibani Bengabasi ". The annual
grant for the library has now been raised from
Rs. 100 to Rs. 200 in response to the prisoner *'
requests for a greater variclyof reading matter.

Special attention is paid to the health of
the prisoners. They are provided with gymnas-
tic apparatus for physical exercise. Specialists
in different branches of medicine visit the jail
frequently and regularly, examine the prisoners
and give suitable treatment to those who need
it. The jail diet is quite satisfactory, Recent-
ly the Government consulted the Nutrition
Research Institute at Coonoor about the diet
and it is probable that some changes may be
made shortly as a result of the recommendations
made by that Institute. As Sir Henry Craik
stated in an informal talk with journalists "the
amenities and conditions of life and health of
the terrorist prisoners in the cellular jail are
generally superior to those obtaining in the In-
dian jails ".

The convicts work during the day accord-
ing to a fixed schedule : they are shut up be-
tween sunset and dawn. During the day they
are allowed to associate together. Visits with
their relatives are allowed the prisoners once in
62

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

thVee months. The allotted time for the inter-
view is an hour, but the Superintendent is em-
powered to prolong the visit at his discretion.

When the Home Member to the Govern-
ment of India 'visited the jail recently the pris-
qriers submitted 4 petition requesting him to
permit them to return to the jails in their
respective provinces He gave them a patient
hearing but only permitted that their relatives
visit them occasionally until they are released
and sent back to India.

There are high school buildings with spa-
cious grounds where the boys may play games.
Beyond the school grounds, at some distance,
is a place called North Point, where there is a
large wireless station which transmits messages
to and from India and Burma.

The gymkhana club is surrounded by well-
kept lawns. The officers spend their evenings
here playing golf and indoor games.

In the centre of the bazar street stands a
War Memorial which commemorates the "glo-
rious dead " of the Great World War. On
the other side isthene\v market. This was
opened in 1932 and was presented to the settle-
ment by one of the leading merchants of the
place, Khan Sahib Fasandali. One can get
almost every commodity here. The Imperial

63

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

Talkies is another place of attraction. There
are also a number of hotels for all classes of
people. Taxis are available at moderate rates.
Aberdeen is progressing rapidly. It is hoped
that shortly it will have a municipal adminis-
tration.

(

Next to Aberdeen, trr^e is Phoenix Hay,
where the Marine Department is established
under the Port Officer. It is a pretty sight to see
a number of steam launches, boats and lighters,
moving gently on the blue waters of the Bay.

At a distance of about a mile from here
there is the island of Chatham where Blair first
settled. It is the headquarters of the forest
department of the Andamans. The whole
department is under the control of the Chief
Forest Officer. He is assisted by divisional
forest officers, rangers, foresters, clerical staff,
etc. There are large saw mills which are
worked by electricity. Hundreds of persons
are employed in the saw mills and workshops.
Timber from all parts is sent here and cut into
squares and scantlings. There is a big deep-
water jetty called the Maharaja's Jetty where
the S. S. Maharaja and other steamers are
anchored and loaded with cargo, which is main-
ly timber. This is a further step towards the
development of the port. Chatha m is connected
with the mainland by a causeway which is use-
ful for heavy lorries and other traffic.
64

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

Haddo is another place worth mentioning.
Here the West India Match Company has spent
lakhs of rupees in the building of a big match
factory where a large number of people are
earning their livelihood.

** The whofe^ of the Andamans can be
divided geographically into three divisions :
the north, the middle and the south. The
government opened a new forest department in
the north with Stewart Sound as headquarters.
Some years ago a big saw mill was erected to
carry on work similar to that which is done at
Chatham, New houses were built for officers
and workmen. Many coolies from Ranchi
were induced to settle here as they were found
to be hardy and capable workers." A large
jetty was built where vessels are anchored thus
facilitating the loading of cargo.

As long as there was a good demand for
timber the division worked very well, but after
about 10 years the world depression set in, and
there was no market for the large output.
When the new wireless station was completed
for quick communication, it is said that the
first message that the officers in charge of the
North Andaman received was that these mills
should be closed for the time being. At
present only the mills have been stopped but
the extraction of timber is still going on. The
S. S. Maharaja and some other chartered

65

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

vessels call at the harbour to load logs and take
them to Calcutta, Madras and Burma for
domestic and export trade- It is at present under
the charge of an extra Assistant Forest Officer,
Mr. M. S. Balasubramanyam, a Mysorean.

The Middle Andaman has a scattered
settlement, chiefly of forest camps. Timber
from all the camps is brought to this place by
means of trams, elephants and buffaloes. Steam
launches come here from the South Andamans
almost every other day and take the logs to
Chatham. The whole settlement is under the
supervision of the Assistant Forest Officer, Mr.
B. S Chengappa who comes from Coorg. It
is with pleasure that I mention his name for,
in recognition of his valuable and indefatigable
services, one of the former Chief Commissioners
was pleased to name an island after him.

Many of the names of the stations and
villages in Port Blair are purely English. The
convicts, the native guards and illiterate settlers
are not able to pronounce them correctly and,
in their attempts to do so can not help distort-
ing them. Some of these mis-pronunciations
are very funny. For instance: Mount Harriet
was named after the wife of Col. Tytler, a late
superintendent of the settlement. But now
the place is commonly called l Mohan Ret ".
Perseverance (Point) and Phoenix (Bay)
indicate the names of the two royal ships in
66

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

Blair's time. These two places are now
popularly known as " Parasupet" and " Pinik
Beg ", respectively. Shore Point is named
after Sir John Shore, the Governor General ;
; but it is now corrupted into "Suwar Point ".
In the same Banner Barwell Ghat has become
'4Balu GlEatX Navy Beg, " Nabi Beg," 5
Wimberly Ganj f " Wimbly Gung." Port
Blair is very well known as 4i Port Boiler >f
or u Coat Blair f> . Port Mohat has been changed
into u Pot Mut "; Dundus Point, into 4I Than-
das Pet " and so on.

67

CHAPTER VI
The Local-born

RATHER reluctantly I make^ mention of ^
certain class of people on the Islands who
have been classified as u local-born ". It seems
to me the name is not only unsuitable but also
rather contemptuous.

These are the descendants of the Indian
convict-parents on both sides who settled in the
Andamans. There has always been a marked
difference between the free population intro-
duced from India and the children of the
convicts with the taint of convict blood. The
so called local-born community has suffered in
numerous ways in the past both from a social
and an economic point of view. They were
socially boycotted by most of the Indian
officials mainly for three reasons: first, for
being born to convict parents, second, for not
strictly adhering to the orthodox customs of
caste and religion, and third, for their moral
weakness.

Anyone who knows their past history and
contrasts it with their present condition of
living will readily admit that the charges
levelled against them are no longer true. In
68

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

defending them I am not deprecating the"
critics : I merely wish to point out to those
who are inclined to look with contempt on
these people, that in the light of their present
condition their criticisms are no longer justified.
It is hardly f^.ir or just that the offspring of
\he convicts should be socially boycotted for
the simple reason that they are the children of
convict parents, a circumstance over which they
had no control. Many of these convicts, too,
were not habitual criminals. Before their
incarceration they had been looked upon as
members of respectable families, but perhaps
owing to family quarrels a crime may have
been committed in a fit of anger. In many
cases the culprit probably repented of the rash
deed almost immediately, but unfortunately
his crime left a blot on the good name of his
family. Even the children of the political
prisoners who were once acknowledged and
respected as leaders of the country are not free
from this blot.

It may be true that 40 years ago the
first generation were perhaps moral wrecks,
but we should consider the conditions under
which they lived. The children of these
convict parents had no moral guides; they
were looked upon with contempt; the pro-
portion of males to females in the settlement
was 12 : 1, so that if they were rather loose in
morals they were not entirely to blame.

69

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

It is not the fault of the community either
that they have been lax in the observance of
their religious and social customs. The convict
population is a mixture of different castes and
creeds from the sub-continent of India and
Burma. Hence the children coulftpoi possibly
follow any particular religion OP 'be brought ujf
to any definite standard of social living. The
convict children and their descendants who
were aware of the criticisms levelled against
them and their parents, have endeavoured to
lead clean, good lives, and they seem to have
succeeded, for they are now, as Sir Richard
Temple remarks, " upright, capable, hard-
working, honest and self-respecting 1 '.

The social postion of the community has
much improved. Many of the convicts are
educated and hold appointments in the sub-
ordinate services where they have shown
themselves trustworthy. If there is diversity
in the observance of their religious customs at
present, they are trying now to follow a com-
mon prescribed form of the religion to which
they belong, and this perhaps, may break the
barrier of distinction and merge them into a
whole.

Regarding their economic condition, they
sustained heavy losses, specially those who had
invested much in lands. When the Govern-
ment enforced the law that non-cultivating ryots

70

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

could not hold land and when occupancy rights
of non-cultivating ryots were not recognised,
many of thqse who had invested their savings
sustained heavy losses, and all their lands revert-
ed to Government and they got no compensation
either. Heftce several lakhs were lost by the
L community as a whole. However, CoL Ferror,
'-'The father of the local born community" made
strong representations to the Government of
India and they were ultimately granted occu-
pancy rights. Some were benefited by this.

Further the Government issued orders to
the effect that houses owned or built by this
community in Aberdeen should be of a prescrib-
ed standard pattern. This again forced those
who had already built their houses on borrowed
money to have them dismantled even before
the loans were cleared. Further loans at high
rates of interest had to be raised to build houses
according to the standard. In order to com-
pensate Tor the heavy losses the Government
helped them in other ways by giving long term
leases of coconut plantations, even setting aside
better offers from outsiders. Shares in the
plantation property are now held exclusively by
the members of the local-born community and it
is expected that this will yield large profits which
will be enjoyed by the present owners and their
descendants.

The members have formed an association

71

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

which was till now under the presidentship of
a gazetted officer ; but at present by the advice
of the Chief Comissioner, the members e7ec
their own president. The association is oft
great help in representing their grievances and
interests to the Government and th'us bettering
the conditions of the community. This as-
sociation has constructed a big building on a
spacious ground at a cost of about Hs. 20,000.
Their club is called the Browning Club. It
has become the centre of many activities.
Various forms of amusement, which go a long
way to ensure the progress of their community
have been started and are progressing nicely.
Scouting, dramatics, sports, educational and
social uplift movements are some of the acti-
vities in which they are very much interested.
It is hoped that these activities will improve
the lot of the so-called local-borns and in time
will remove the stigma so unjustly attaching
to them. The writer who is greatly interested
in their progress sincerely hopes that such a
day is not far off.

CHAPTER VII
The Population of the Islands

THE population of the islands, apart from
the aboriginal Andamanese, is about
19,700. This number consists of the convicts,
their guards, the government officials and
their families, trading settlers and their families,
and the special con munity called the 'local-
born' who have been described in the previous
chapter. This population is distributed over
the parts of the cleared area surrounding the
settlement, the scattered camps of the middle
Andaman and the North Andaman.

All of the various castes that we find in

CASTE: India and Burma are to be found in

AND a miniature form in the Andamans,

LANGUAGE both among the conv j cts an d the

settlers. And of course there is a great diversity
in the languages spoken, but Urdu may be
called the lingua franca. Every one who lives in
the settlement, even for a few months, is forced
to learn Urdu through necessity. 1 came across
some officers 5 children whose tendency was
more to speak in Urdu than in English which
was their mother tongue. Urdu is the verna-

73

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

cular of the local born population irrespective
of caste and creed. This language as used in
Port Blair, is full of technicalities,, arising out
of local conditions and the requirements of
daily life.

What we have said about the castes of
RELIGION- these P e P le holds good about their
religion also. Every religion that we
find in India may be found here too. The Gov-
ernment does not interfere with the convicts'
religious observances, much less with that of
the settlers and others. There are 30 places of
religious worship of various denominations in
the settlement, and about 42 religious teachers
visited the island during the last two years-
The religious festivals of Hinduism, Moham-
medanism and Christianity are officially recog-
nised and duly notified as Holidays. Formerly
the convicts were not allowed to have proces-
sions, public religious assemblies of any kind,
but now all such restrictions have been with-
drawn and complete religious freedom is
enjoyed by all-
Hinduism is the religion of the majority
TWW HIVYUT* in the settlement Hindus predo-

1MM HINDU! . ITT rr i

minate among the Indian officials
free settlers, military police battalion, merchants
as well as among the convicts. They have
built temples in various places and almost every
village has a small temple of its own.
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a

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THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

Next to the Hindus in point of numerical

MOH1MHEDANB: **&* COf1 ' 6 the Modems-

There are mosques in the main
stations erected by public subscriptions or built
by private people. Mohammedans practise
their religion more openly than the Hindus.

There are many Christians in the settle-
ffuBTarrtiira ment among both officials and

Uii.nlHllA.rlEi ! . /^i 1 r

settlers. There are only a few
Christians among the convicts. The Roman
Catholics and the members of the Church of
England form the majority of the Christian
population. But denominations, too, are re-
presented. Christ Church on Ross Island is
used by the Anglicans. There is a resident
Chaplain and services are conducted regularly
on Sundays and other prescribed days.

There is a beautiful Catholic chapel de-
dicated to St. Joseph which contains some
very fine statues and paintings. There is no
resident priest, But the chapel is looked after
very well by the faithful. Prayers are recited
regularly on Sundays and festivals. Priests
from Rangoon and other places visit the
Island and attend to the spiritual needs of the
people. The Catholics of the place are most
anxious to have a resident Chaplain. Requests
have been made to the Apostolic Delegate of
the East Indies and also to the Bishop of
Rangoon but so far no priest has been per-

75

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

manently stationed there. The Catholics ar*
now preparing to send another delegation for
the same purpose. The sooner the request is
granted, the better will be the lot of the
catholics of the place and they would certainly
be most grateful to the Indian Hierarchy if
given a priest to remain permanently on the
Island.

Sikhs are found, but chiefly in the police
BIKHS- f rce - Arya Samagists and others
represent only a fraction of the popu-
lation.

It is interesting to note that not a single
Jew has been found among the convict list
since the foundation of the settlement.

76

CHAPTER
Forests

THE whole of the Andamans arimSnsely
wooded except for the areas that have
been cleared for the purpose of human
habitation and cultivation. The real Anda-
man forest are filled with evergreen trees,
which depend for their existence on the under-
lying soil. There are also large areas of
deciduous forests, and here and there, glades of
bamboo are seen. The forests are all confined
to the slopes. Mangrove forests are generally
found on the estuaries of the creeks and near
high tide limits. Of the 2,508 square miles
comprising the area of the islands, about 1,500
square miles are estimated to contain a great
variety of trees which are not common in
India. From the commercial point of view
the timber can be divided into three classes,
under the first class, Padank, Kokke, Chuglam,
Marble-wood and Stain-wood are included.
The second class consists of Pyinma, Bambway,
Chai, Lakuch, Lalchini, Pongyet, Thitmin,
Mowha, Khaya, Gangaur and Thingan. The
third class includes timbers of minor impor-
tance such as Didu, Gurjan, etc.

77

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

The forest department has introduced
some new varieties of trees both for shade and
ornament. There are also many fcinds of fruit
trees, as well as vegetables and garden plants.

The forests of the Andamans are of great
value to the Government. The Government
has the monopoly of the forests, but contracts
for extraction are given. The harbours and
tidal creeks facilitate the work of the forest
Department. Elephants and buffaloes drag
logs from forests to tramways or the seashore
and rafts are towed by steamers to Port Blair.

In the beginning, a start was made with
portable saw-mills and hand-sawing for supply-
ing sleepers and poles for the Indian Telegraph
Department. Afterwards a saw-mill was erect-
ed. This mill was closed and in its piace a
new mill supplied by the Burma Trading
Company was erected and the output increased.
In the year 1927 an American band mill was
opened in the North Andaman. The intro-
duction of new mills and the improvements
therein have very much increased the output
of the Andaman mills.

The Government tried another experi-
ment the mechanical extraction of timbers
by means of a skidder. This proved a great
success but on account of the general depression
there was no market for their output and the
78

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00

as
IH

X

0,

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THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

work had to cease. The net revenue obtained
from the forests for the last 60 to 70 years runs
between forty and sixty lakhs, including the
capital asset.

If the forests are properly worked and
market found for the output, the Government
can easily export thousands of tons of timber
every year.

CHAPTER IX
Agriculture

FROM the biological point of view, man is
a land animal. His daily bread is always,
in one form or another, composed of the
"fruits of the earth and hence one of the
striking characteristics of the economic life
of the Andamans is the importance given to
agriculture.

Some seventy years ago, all the islands
were covered with impregnable forests. A
characteristic which is the key-note of Anda-
manese life is that they are naturally collectors
of food and not cultivators. They knew no
form of cultivation and, when the English
first occupied the place, no cultivable lands
were available in the Andamans. After the
settlement was established, the authorities,
with the aid of the convicts and others,
laboured hard to clear the jungles around Port
Blair in order to grow vegetables, fruits and
other crops.

It was Lord Mayo who thought seriously
of making the penal settlement self-supporting
by the expansion of agriculture. The convicts
were encouraged in numerous ways to settle
80

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

down on the land. Many of the well behaved
convicts were given permission on "tickets-of-
leave" to hold' land from 2 to 5 acres and they
were also given clothes and nine months 1 ra-
tions, a taccavi loan or the supply of ploughs,
cattle, and other implements necessary to carry
on agricultural work. However, neither the
cultivators nor their descendants had any rights
of ownership over the land; they were tenants-
at-will of the government. This system, of
course, safe guarded the interests of the govern-
ment but it was not very satisfactory to the
cultivators. Therefore, many of them did not
earnestly try to improve the land. Those who
desired to possess the tickets-of-leave could
obtain them only by their good behaviour and
they were mostly motivated by their desire for
freedom.

Futher, since they came from all parts
of India and Burma, it was impossible to expect
them to be a homogeneous body of cultivating
tenants who were keenly interested in agricul-
ture. But one thing is true: from the very
beginning the authorities were very earnest in
this particular matter, and through their ef-
forts, a large area of more than 1 3,000 acres of
land was brought under cultivation.

Since 1921, fresh schemes have been
introduced for the improvement of agriculture.
Occupancy rights have been extended to

81

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

several hundred tenants. A special department
known as the Agricultural Department was
established under an able agricultural officer.
This department has laid out elaborate schemes
of agricultural advancement. It ,devotes much
of its time to educating the agricultural clasp,
to the supplying of good seed and fertilisers
for protection against vermin and fungoid pests,
good tools and implements and healthy live-
stock. Annual agricultural exhibitions and
ploughing competitions have done much for
the improvement of cultivation.

Though the cultivator has already learnt
to look upon the agricultural expert as a friend
and guide, and though he is willing to learn
the new methods and processes, yet, as has been
found elsewhere, he is illiterate and ignorant
and slow to adopt scientific practices and
modern methods. He is guided by old traditions
and has no regard for time. If these difficul-
ties are to be overcome the department must
put forth a more vigorous .policy. However,
as time goes on the benefits of improved me-
thods of agriculture may be brought home to
the ryot in the settlement.

The chief crops that are grown in the
islands are : paddy, coconut, sugar-cane, tur-
meric, maize, pulses, melons, vegetables, fruits,
coffee, tea, and rubber.
82

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

There are about 10,000 head of cattle in
the whole of the Andamans. The native cow
was found to.be a very poor specimen, therefore
some stud bulls were carefully selected and
imported from India by the commissariat de-
partment and maintained in various parts of
the Islands. The new breed obtained by
crossing these local bred cows with Hilsa, Mon-
tagmary and Scindi bulls are found to be
superior to the original stock and more useful for
draught purposes and are found to give larger
quantities of milk. Many persons who are at
present engaged in cattle breeding are able to
earn a good living. In some cases the cows thus
brought up give as much as 18 Ibs of milk a day.
The commissariat department maintains a good
dairy farm and supplies fresh milk, cream and
butter every day to officers and hospitals at a
moderate cost.

At one time it was found that the breed-
ing of sheep was difficult as the sheep brought
over to this place in large flocks were unable to
live in the islands under ordinary conditions-
Therefore in order to provide mutton sheep
were imported in small batches from India.
But at present some of the self-supporting con-
victs and free settlers are engaged in sheep
raising and make a fair profit for themselves by
supplying them for slaughter.

Fowls, ducks and eggs are a little more

83

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

costly than in India. Poultry farming has
drawn the attention of the Mappillas and others
who seem to get on well in that liije.

84

CHAPTER X
Industries

THERE is a large workshop at Phoenix Bay
where a great variety of work is carried
on under the supervision of expert engi-
neers and supervisors. This department is
growing considerably in importance day by
day. The workshop is especially meant for
training the convicts who are employed there.
But others are also employed or trained. The
whole of the output is consumed locally : no
export trade has been possible. The work is
performed partly by manual labour and partly
by machinery.

Handicrafts consist of cane-work of all
sorts, plain and fancy, rope making, matting,
fishing nets, wire netting, painting and lettering
of all descriptions. Repairing of boilers,
pumps, machinery, watches and clocks is done
in the workshops. With regard to iron, copper
and tin, fitting, tinning and lampmaking,
forging and hammering of all kinds is done.
In brass and iron, casting of many sizes is done.
Regarding wood work, they build carriages, and
do different kinds of carvings. In leather, they
make boots, shoes, harness and belts.

85

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

By means of machinery they turn out
various articles of both wood and metal. The
authorities, in order to make the settlement
entirely self-supporting in every respect, are
continually increasing the number of machines
and are teaching various kinds of trades to the
people.

The marine department at Phoenix Bay
directs all its attention to the building and
working of the steam launches, barges, lighters,
buoys, etc.

Apart from these industries there are
various other kinds of work such as forestry,
reclamation, making domestic utensils, fuel,
salt, house building, etc, etc.

Fish is an important item in the diet of
FISHERIES *ke P e P^ e * n the settlement. For
several years the fishing industry
has been making rapid strides. The fishing
gangs maintained by the settlement go about
the Islands in boats and catch good quantities
of fish and prawns which are supplied to the
members and provide them with an income.
A large number of convicts who possess self-
supporters tickets have taken to fishing. They
own small boats, go far into the open sea, and
come back after long hours with a good catch.
Sardines are plentiful and very popular: they
are always in demand. On the whole, quite a
brisk business is done in this line.
86

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

Some years ago Major A.R.S. Anderson,

SHELL-FISHING aft6 f r l 8 a careful study,
wrote a pamphlet giving a
summary o'f the economic zoology of the
Andaman Islands, in which he says : " The
coral and dead shells afford an immense field
for obtaining a very fine quality of Jime, which
for many years past has been used in the
Andarnans in building operations, sea-cucum-
bers or trepang are collected, dried and exported
to the Chinese market. Ornamental shells
can be obtained with great ease in the rocky
pools, reefs and shallow waters. Edible oysters
are very plentiful. Pearls and mother-of-pearls
of oysters are occasionally obtained but no
systematic search for these valuable products
has ever been undertaken. The edible and
tortoise-shell turtle, are plentiful .......

The shells of the latter are collected and
exported.

"

There are plenty of shells at present.
They were collected by the residents some
years ago and afterwards abandoned. Recent-
ly some Japanese vessels were found poaching
in the Andaman and Nicobar waters, and re-
moving the valuable Turbo and Trocus shells.
As these shells possess a fine pearly lustre they
are extensively used in the manufacture of
buttons and other artistic products, such as
knife-handles, serviette rings, toilet articles,
fruit dishes, etc.

87

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

These Japanese were brought over to the
settlement and dealt with judicially for infringe-
ment of the existing marine regulations- The
collection of shells was confiscated and a fine of
Rs. 16,500 was levied.

Afterwards the zoological department,
took up further investigation of the question
of developing the fisheries with the result that
a research branch of the department was opened
in Port Blair under the Fisheries Development
Officer. The authorities now issue licenses,
and the shell beds are exclusively worked by
two Japanese traders from Singapore who are
permitted to collect limited quantities of shell
during specified periods of the year.

CHAPTER XI
Co-operative Societies

IT is a recognised fact that credit is an
absolute necessity in all agricultural com-
muni ties. Easy and cheap credit, however,
has a great danger. It may lead to reckless
borrowing which would mean ultimate ruin of
the borrowers. In order to assist the cultivator
with easy and cheap credit and at the same
time eliminate the danger of reckless borrowing,
a number of co-operative societies have been
established on sound principles. There are
village co-operative societies, The Cocoanut
Export Associations, The Planters' Association,
The Local-Born Co-operative Land Syndicate
and the House Building Society. The aim of
all these co-operative societies is to improve
the agricultural crops, arrange better sale for
the crops and make the agriculturists lead a
decent and useful life. Besides, there is the
Government Servants* Co-operative Credit So-
ciety and Ferrar Co-operative Stores. All these
societies are registered. The accounts of all
these societies are regularly audited by the
registrar. A debt of gratitude is due Sardar
Balwant Singh, M.P.C.S. for the disinterested
services rendered by him in the cause of

89

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

the different co-operative movements in the
settlement.

The exports consist chiefly of timber,
TRADE cocoanut canes, edible birds '-

nests, trepang and some other
articles of jungle produce. The imports consist
of articles required by the various government
stores, provisions for sale by merchants, such as
wearing apparel, and articles of luxury, etc.

90

CHAPTER XII
Education

THE primary aim of the government in
educating the children, especially those
unfortunate children of the convicts, is to draw
out all that is good in them, to develop their
intellectual and moral powers, and to strengthen
them physically, mentally and spiritually so
that they may grow up into self-respecting,
useful and loyal citizens, who will know how
to respect and obey the government. The
local-born population is better educated in the
Andamans than anywhere else.

Elementary education is compulsory for
all children for girls up to 10 and for boys
up to 14 years of age. No distinction is made
in the schools between the local-born and free
children.

The schools are managed by a committee,
having the Deputy Commissioners, two mem-
bers of the local-born community and the
head-master as its members. The Chaplain
in charge of the Christ Church is the secretary.
Until recently there were about 20 schools in
the settlement including the Anglo-vernacular
high school, the middle and primary schools at
South Point and the Anglo-vernacular primary

91

HE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

school at Garacharma. The rest were all
vernacular primary schools in the villages
teaching up to the third standard, only.

The staff consists of- a head-master, 20
assistant masters for Anglo-vernacular school
and 35 masters for the vernacular schools.
Many of them are trained teachers. But
owing to the sudden and great reduction of the
convict population and the curtailment of staff
in the settlement there was a great reduction
in the number of schools and the strength of
the staff. At present there are 12 primary
schools and one high school in the islands with
a strength of 600 boys and 107 girls.

The institution is affiliated to the Rangoon
University and the curriculum is therefore
based on the Burma educational system*
Educational inspectors come from Burma and
conduct the inspection of the schools
especially of the high school, and suggest
means and methods of improvement. The
suggestions are promptly attended to. A
number of students are appearing for the high
school, middle school, and for the middle
school scholarship examinations. The results
obtained have often compared favourably with
those of Burma.

Special facilities are provided for the
local-born children. When they finish their
high school course and desire to join the
92

HE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

University they are given scholarships to go
to Rangoon for higher studies- With regard to
professional courses, such as medical, teachers'
and mechanical trailing, they are trained at
government cost. There are at present, two
or three graduates, a law graduate, a few
qualified medical men and a number of teachers
who have completed their secondary and high
school training. Trained teachers are appoint-
ed in the high school and the middle school on
good salaries, and those who have finished their
course in medicine, are appointed to the
medical department of the settlement.

The present system of education in Port
Blair is on the 4-3-3 years' plan. The subjects
taught in the high school are English, History
of India and Burma, History of England,
Mathematics, Geography, Science and Hindu-
stani. In 1934 the teaching of science was
discontinued but the government has now
permitted the subject to be taught again.
Agriculture and carpentry were also taught in
the high school and many have taken agriculture
as an optional subject for the high school
examination. At present these subjects are
provisionally stopped but may be resumed
again very soon. It is hoped that as time
advances the knowledge gained in the field of
agriculture may benefit the community as a
whole by making them realize the benefits of
improved methods of farming.

93

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

The school library contains a good num-
ber of books and new books ?re added every
year. The staff make every effort to have the
students make the best possible use of the
library.

Drill is compulsory ; hockey, football,
and cricket are the principal games played
daily by the students. The school teams take
part in various tournaments and many trophies
have been won. Sports competitions are held
annually when the Chief Commissioner or the
Deputy Commissioner presides and the win-
ners are awarded prizes.

The question of education in the settle-
ment presents many difficulties. With a
mixed population of convicts and free settlers
from every province in India and Burma, the
problem of providing adequate and appropri-
ate educational facilities is one with which the
administration is constantly faced, and this
difficulty is accentuated by financial stringency.
However, under the new constitution, if
Burma should be separated from India, the
schools will have to be affiliated to the Calcutta
University. This is bound to bring many
changes in the existing system which we hope
will be for the improvement and betterment
of these poor children.

94

CHAPTER XIII
Health

A MISCONCEPTION is sedulously fos-
tered in the minds of the public in India
and elsewhere that The Andamans are
very unhealthy. This is not true. On the
contrary the settlement is singularly free from
the more serious epidemics such as Plague,
Cholera, Small-pox and Enteric that are so
common in India and Burma. It is true that
before the Great War Malaria was rampant
and hundreds of convicts and others who lived
in insanitary buildings and other places situated
too close to undrained swamps, contracted the
disease and a large number of the victims died.
Thanks to Major Christopher, I. M. S. the
common Malaria carrier in the Andamans was
discovered to be Anopheles LudJowi ; these
mosquitoes bred in brackish water, and were
only found within half a mile of the breeding
ground.

As an anti-malarial measure the authori-
ties proposed a big scheme to fill in the swamps
by means of cutter-suction dredgers- The
proposal was approved by the legislative
assembly. More than 21 lakhs of rupees were

95

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

sanctioned to carry out the anti-malarial
campaign. Even before this, much had been
done in the field. The swamp reclamation in
the settlement proved very beneficial both
from the point of health and permanency of
habitability. The statistics for the ]ast 27
years show that the disease has hem very
much reduced and the rate of mortality within
the last ten years has decreased from 43 to
about 10 per thousand.

If modern hotels and rest houses could be
built in places like Mount Harriett, Ross and
other suitable localities, the beauty of the
Islands, together with the moderate climate,
would provide an ideal health resort for people
from India and other places.

96

CHRIST CHURCH, FOSS

CHAPTER XIV
Medical Care

HPHERE -are three main hospitals at Ross,
J.^ Haddo and Atlanta Point respectively ;
others are outlying dispensaries situated in
places convenient for the people who live in
the villages and the scattered districts of the
settlement. They are under the supervision of
the Senior Medical Officer and are adequately
equipped.

The general hospital at Ross is well
equipped on modern lines and is divided into
three sections, viz: the European section, the
Indian section and the convict section.

Haddo Hospital is specially intended
for convicts and is under the direct manage-
ment of a junior medical officer who has three
or four other medical assistants under him.
There are special wards for admission and
treatment of free people who find it inconven-
ient to go to Ross. Special diseases, such as
Pthisis, Venereal Diseases, Dysentery, Insanity
and other similar cases are generally treated
here. Recently a hospital for women and
children was opened in Atlanta Point. It is
under an efficient lady medical officer. This
hospital is very popular and has an out-patient
dispensary attached to it.

97

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

A maternity and child welfare centre
has been started recently and is functionfrig
properly.

The various dispensaries located in
different places are run on the principle of
"clearing hospitals'* having for their base,
Ross and Haddo. This principle is followed in
order to give the maximum help at the mini-
mum cost and also to make sure that all serious
cases are brought to the notice of the senior
medical officer and the specialists. Medical aid
is given free to the whole population. Apart
from the convicts who are admitted as in-pa-
tients, those who are weak and unfit for hard
labour are also classified as " sick " and treated
with care in the hospitals.

A motor ambulance was purchased to
commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the late
King George VTH. This was fitted up as a
travelling dispensary especially for the benefit
of the people of the villages.

The medical authorities in the settle-
ment are devoting special attention to public
health and there is every reason to believe that
these efforts will bring about a permanent
improvement and thus put a stop to the
unfavourable criticisms about the unhealthy
condition of Port Blair.

98

o

CHAPTER XV
Recreation

THE wonderful panoramic beauty of the
surroundings together with the excellent
position of these Islands offer holiday-makers
and the people of the settlement an excellent
opportunity for the cultivation of many sports
and hobbies connected with the sea and land.
There are incomparable opportunities for those
who wish to enjoy and relax themselves.
From this point of view the Andamans are
unique. The social activites are numerous
and diverse, thereby accommodating themselves
to every taste. Fishing is excellent and there
are special open bathing pools. Fishing,
bathing and yachting excursions can be easily
arranged.

There is plenty of game on the Islands ;
snipe, duck, pigeon, deer, wild boars, etc. are
found in many places.

There are fields to play cricket, football,
tennis, hockey, etc,

99

CHAPTER XVI
Means of Communication

THE chief means of communication in the
settlement is by water. There are a good
number of steam launches, lighters, barges and
boats. Ferries ply at fixed hours between
several points across the harbour.

On the Islands themselves the roads that
have been constructed by means of convict
Jabour are superior to anything that may be
found in the districts of India. There are
numerous regular bus lines maintained by
private parties from Aberdeen to Haddo,
Chatham and other villages of the mainland.

The Post Office is under the control of the
Postmaster General of Burma. But the Chief
Commissioner regulates the relations of the
Post Office with the convicts. Local posts in
the Islands are frequent. For want of regular
steamer service foreign mails are irregular.

The Port Blair government formerly had
chartered two steamers from the Asiatic
Navigation Company for which they were
paying a heavy sum monthly. Owing to the
100

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

decrease in the demand for timbers from
outside, now only one steamer, viz : S.S.
Maharaja, has been chartered for which they
pay about Rs. 60,000 a month. The cargo
and the passenger traffic have to be managed
by this vessel along with the government work
wl^h it performs it transports convicts to
and from India and Burma, transports troops
on the Burma line and proceeds on periodic
voyages to the Nicobar. Since the S.S.
Maharaja has so many tasks to perform there
is neither regular nor frequent communication
to the sea ports of India and other places.
This lack of regular communication makes the
people of the Andamans feel their isolation
more keenly. They believe themselves cut off
from India by thousands of miles, and that
they have no facilities for regular corres-
pondence with their families and friends is
indeed a hardship. Easy and speedy means
of transport and communication would be a
great boon for them.

Sometimes, when there is heavy demand
for timber special steamers are chartered.
Occasionally the men-of-war, the Japanese ships
and holiday ships visit the Islands.

101

CHAPTER XVII
Police Department

THE Andaman police force consists of 3
branches : the military, the civil and the
bush police. They are under a commandant
who is an officer of the Indian Army lent to
the administration, and there is an assistant
under him. The duties of the police force are
both military and civil. They are distributed
all over the settlement in different stations.
The bush police are maintained chiefly for the
protection of outlying villages against raids by
the hostile Jara\vas and to instil confidence in
the minds of the villagers living in the more
remote parts of the settlement.

There is a British regiment in the settle-
ment and it is changed once in six months, as
there are not adequate facilities for military
training.

102

CHAPTER XVIII
Colonising the Islands

NOW that science has annihilated distance,
the long-neglected and barbaric Anda-
man Islands have been brought to the notice
of the world. In the early days of the settle-
ment it was sheer necessity that forced the
English to adopt certain drastic measures to
prevent the massacre by the savages of those
who landed there either by design or by
accident. The Indian Mutiny then gave an
opportunity to form a penal settlement. Finally
in 1921, the Jail Commission recommended
the total abolition of the Andamans as a penal
settlement. The recommendation that the
penal settlement should be abolished was, in
effect, a proposal that the Andamans should be
evacuated. For several reasons this was im-
practicable, the chief being (1) the existence of
a free population of about 3,000 <fc Local-borns "
who could not be repatriated to any particular
province in India, (2) the commercial value of
the forests, (3) the strategical importance of
the Islands, and (4) the large amount of money
spent on establishing the settlement : for these
reasons alone abolition is unthinkable. But
many are of the opinion that a free colony can

103

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

be established by introducing certain necessary
administrative and economic changes which
would work out the desired scheme of colonisa-
tion.

If this aim is to be achieved many factors
like population, economic planning, organise
tion and the creation of a healthy peaceful
atmosphere should be taken into consideration.
By peaceful atmosphere I mean harmony be-
tween the rulers and the ruled. Otherwise in
a small place like the Andamans constructive
measures cannot be undertaken.

Coming to the population, it would seem
that the present number is not enough for a
new colony. Immediately after orders regard-
in g the abolition of the penal settlement were
received in 1921, there was a great fall in the
convicts' population: from 11,532 it came
down to 8,823. Fresh batches were not re-
ceived into the Islands, except a few unmarried
women convicts, and many were sent back to
India. In addition to the decrease in the con-
vict population, there was some reduction in
the free population too for the reason that
there was considerable retrenchment in the
staff. The inducements towards immigration
partly failed because of the sinister reputation
of " Kala Pani " which means the black water
or " the Home of Convicts ". The obstacles
seemed to point out that the question of popu.
104

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

lating the Islands was impossible. However,
very soon it was proved that the set-backs
were only temporary.

Although it was decided to discontinue the
transportation of convicts, yet efforts were
fna.de to induce the convicts in the Indian jails
to volunteer for transfer to the Andamans.
Further encouragement was given to convicts
to remain in the Islands as free settlers after
their term of punishment was over.

According to the previous rules a convict
had to serve for about ten years before he was
promoted to the first class, when he was given
a few privileges. But at present, after the
short period of three months the self-supporter's
ticket will be granted to him. The moral
standards and the general outlook have changed
considerably for the better. If the convicts
desire to get their wives and families from
their native places, they are readily permitted
to do so at government cost. Sometimes the
government arranges and sends parties of con-
victs to India and Burma to bring
with them- Good houses have
are rented out to the convicts at

Before these changes were
was looked down upon by othe
He was despised and socially
was made to bear the stigma

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

wearing a distinct dress, a neck band, to which
was attached a wooden ticket.

Now, as Sir Henry Craik has 'said, they
are a progressive and enlightened community
living in a healthy atmosphere and there is no-
thing to distinguish convicts from free persons-
except a small ticket like a tie clip, whiCh is
often concealed inside the button hole. They
are contented and happy. They have their
homes, their family, their lands, business or
employment and property. As an addition to
his income, the government pays a monthly
allowance of Rs. 5 to his wife and Rs. 2 for
every child. Co-operative societies help these
people still further to improve their lot.

It goes without saying that these induce-
ments and changes have brought about a
marked change in the outlook and in the very
life of the convicts.

Many of the ex-convicts who found that
conditions in the Andamaris were more
favourable than in their own country returned
here to pursue their own occupations. The
Home Member's remark that their standard of
living compared favourably with that of some
of their free brothers in India seems to be fairly
near the truth.

Bhanthus, Mappillas, Karens and Burmans
are found to be good settlers.
106

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

The Bhanthus are a nomadic criminal
tribe of the United Provinces. They live by
robbery and decoity and the Government of
India has 'therefore labelled them " criminal
tribes ". In order to keep them apart from the
general populace, separate settlements under
Strict police vigilance were founded. The
Government of the United Provinces tried to
place this class in the settlements under the
care of the Salvation Army, and various
industries were taught with a view to making
them give up their criminal habits and learn
the ways of honest living.

In 1926 a group of Bhanthus went from
the Indian jails to the Andamans of their own
free will taking their families with them, and
an officer of the Salvation Army took charge
of the gang. Even now they continue to be
under the care of the Salvation Army officer
and it is gratifying to note that their conduct
has improved greatly. Many of them live by
means of agriculture and some of them work in
the saw-mills, while still others arre wage earners
in the match factory and elsewhere. Their
children are being educated and it is hoped
that this generation will increase and very much
improve in the days to come.

After the Malabar rebellion in 1921, about
1,400 Mappillas arrived in the settlement. A
good number of them have settled here with

107

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

their families. Many have taken to agriculture,
some of them are engaged in various kinds of
business and some are employed at .Chatham,
Haddo, Phoenix Bay, Aberdeen, Ross and
other places. Generally they live in separate
villages and have separate schools for their
children.

The Karens migrated from Bassein in the
year 1925. The government gave them grants
of land for cultivation, and employment in the
forest department: there are about 270 of
them and all are Christians belonging to the
Baptist Mission.

As the climate of the Andamans and the
diet are similiar to those obtaining in their
own country, the Burmese here are found to be
the most homogeneous community. Many have
settled here with their families. They work in
different parts of the settlement in different
capacities. They have separate schools for
their children. They have built pagodas and
have pongyi chaungs for helping them at
worship.

While the convicts are thus encouraged
to settle down on the land and increase the
population of the place, the condition of the
free population also has improved in very
many ways ; the government is contemplating
further improvements to encourage them. The
108

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

new regulation assures security of land for all
classes of agriculturists. The restriction that
prevented many from going over to the Anda-
mans is now abolished and landing permits are
granted to. any number of people,

As the population goes on increasing there
must necessarily be a corresponding increase
in the production also so as to meet the
demands of the new population. At present,
the sources of production are limited in the
Andamans but if the resources which are
within our reach were better mobilised and
utilised the economic progress of the people
would be assured. There is need for experts
interested in the economic progress of the
people who would carefully survey and analyse
exisiting agencies and plan out ways and means
to develop these resources and organise them in
the proper way in order to shape out the future
destinies of the people. This is possible only
by whole hearted cooperation with the govern-
ment which is equally interested in this policy.

At present there are about 20,000 acres of
cleared land, of which about 10,000 are used
for cultivating various crops, while a large
portion is left as grazing ground. Consider-
able publicity has been given in the press in
recent years regarding the possibilities of the
Islands for settlement. The government of
India is prepared to receive applications for the

109

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

occupation of lands for agricultural and indus-
trial purposes, for a period of 20 years, with
option to renew for a like term.

If the Islands are to be successfully colon-
ised, agriculture and industries should be
organised on a large scale. For this as
immense capital is necessary. If that is forth-
coming success is assured, since the other
agents and conditions are favourable for the
building up of a new economic order.

There is plenty of good land available for
small holdings. Hundreds of " unemployed "
people might be used to clear. the thousands of
acres of virgin land, and cultivation on improved
methods could be started.

The Islands afford good prospects for
cocoanut plantations because they are now
free from the palmyra diseases. The soil, the
rainfall and the climatic conditions are all em-
inently favourable for the luxuriant growth of
the cocoanut palm. Some land has already
been utilised: thousands of plants were im-
ported and planted a few years ago, and are
now in full bearing and yield good profit to the
owners and substantial revenue to the govern-
ment.

Further, a consignment of 550 seedlings
of the u dwarf fl variety were imported from
110

TRAMS LOADED WITH TIMBER AND DRAGGED

BY AN ELEPHANT
In a jungle in the middle Andamans

ABERDEEN JETTY

THE jfNDAMAN ISLANDS

the Federated Malay States recently. These
plants are supposed to bear fruit in four years:
the usual period is from ten to twelve years.
If these iiw plants are a success certainly many
will want to cultivate this variety.

A rubber plantation was introduced by
the government some years ago as an experi-
ment. It flourished for a time, but on account
of the trade depression, perhaps, it was not
sufficiently encouraged and consequently was
not successful. If experts were employed and
proper attention given to this industry it
would undoubtedly thrive and become a pro-
fitable concern.

The land is fertile and crops like coffee,
sugar-cane and turmeric grow very well and can
be cultivated on a large scale.

The Fisheries would provide occupation
for a number of people-

The forests that are worked at present are
more or less in the neighbourhood of the
coast. There are about 2,200 square miles of
virgin forest of which about 1,400 square miles
could be worked to yield a good income. The
forests are at present under government control.
If the government would be willing to lease
them and sufficient capital could be raised to
finance a company a very lucrative business
might be started.

Ill

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

The wood is a very fine quailty and em-
inently .uitable for making good furniture,
building boats, constructing houses, etc. After
clearance of timber the forests can be ^gener-
ated by natural means, for it has been found by
experience that in the Andarnans, forests can be
more easily and more profitably regenerated b>
natural means than by artificial means: thus
the forests are not denuded and at the same
time a goood revenue is assured.

It is a well known fact that, for centuries,
due to her maritime activity, India was con-
sidered the world's commercial centre, but
unfortunately she no longer holds that enviable
position.

It is a matter for regret that in spite of
her intimate connection for the last 1 50 years
with the supreme maritime nation of the world,
she has not become even a third rate marine
power.

I trust the reader will pardon the following
suggestion that may sound like a purely Utopian
scheme evolved from the brain of an idle
dreamer.

The coast line of the Islands is, as we
have already noted, deeply indented. There
are a number of safe harbours, both on the
east and on the west coasts. Apart from these
112

B

o

M

X

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THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

thcre^are tidal creeks and other safe anchorages
for sea-going vessels. The Islands are very
strategetically situated in the Bay of Bengal.
Besides*, the meteorological and wireless
stations are of immense value in obtaining and
spreading information about the intensity of
cyclonic storms in the Bay of Bengal, and
reliable* weather forecasts can be made. Con-
sidering all these advantages the Andamans
are a distinct asset to New India. We know
that many attempts to organize Indian shipping
companies were met with stout opposition and
some of the companies so formed languished
and were obliged to go into liquidation. Why
could not the Indian patriots and other public-
spirited individuals make efforts to start an
Indian shipping company with a view to giving
training to our young men ? If the attempt
fails as a commercial enterprise at least it will
serve the good purpose of training Indians as
officers, engineers and other workmen in the
Indian marine department.

If anything is worthy of accomplishment
either for the individual interest, the good of
our fellowmen in general, or for the country as
a whole, there are certain inevitable risks to be
run, but " nothing venture, nothing win ". If
the people of these Islands are to make of them
a prosperous Colony, by means of industries
and agriculture, a bit of adventure is necessary.
Individually and collectively men should be

113

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

prepared to risk money and effort. Let us not
torget that pioneers are the backbone of every
new country and every great scheme* They
must be prepared to undergo innumerable hard-
ships and insuperable difficulties ." pro bono
publico et pro patria. " But perseverance and
courageous optimism will win the struggle in
the end.

According to the last census we find
that the population of India has exceeded that
of China and is still growing at an alarming
rate. By a comparative study of the produc-
tion of food supplies and other commodities,
we feel justified in stating that the rapidy in-
creasing population gives cause for alarm when
ways and means of existence do not keep pace
with the increased numbers. What is the rem-
edy ? We must find occupations for the
growing population. Perhaps, the scheme sug-
gested, or an alternative one by men with brains
and capital, when organised, would alleviate to
a certain degree the lot of the suffering masses
of India.

Some critics may compare the humble
writer to a man standing on Mount Harriet
looking through the Keleidoscope at a lot of
fantastic pictures of the Andaman Islands con-
verted into an earthly paradise for this poor
convict population. I would be grateful to
them for their criticisms if they but paved the
114

o
c

TJ

W

I

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THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

JV

some, w^ll-intentioned liberal philan-
to come 'for ward and study the situa-
tiotk^and take the necessary steps to put into
execution some well-planned and well-organized
scheme for the successful colonisation and
development of the splendid resources that are
to t> found in the Andamans. The writer's
main purpose is to create sympathy in the
minds of the " haves " towards the " have nots"
so that something might be undertaken in the
Islands to relieve the suffering masses in India.

Such enterprises to be of benefit to the
people as a whole cannot be managed entirely
by private individuals. A great deal depends
on the co-operation and aid of the government,
without which no large concern can hope for
success, and this is particularly true of these
distant Islands. The government has already
done so much but a great deal more is yet to
be done. The initial aid both by way of
finance and technical knowledge must come
from the government.

When the people have reached a stage
where their enterprises would be self-supporting
government aid could of course be withdrawn.

115

CHAPTER XIX
The Tragic End of Lord Mayo

IT might seem at first sight that this chapter
is out of place in this book. But, in the
writer's humble opinion, any book on the
Andamans would be incomplete without some
reference to Lord Mayo who left no stone
unturned to improve the conditions of the
place and the life of the convicts and other
settlers on the Islands, and who ultimately
sacrificed his precious life in the cause of the
Islands. His nobility of purpose and sincere
desire for the uplift of India can very well be
seen from the following lines, written to a
friend, which undoubtedly came straight from
his heart : " I have only one object in all I do.
I believe we have not done our duty to the
people of this land. Millions have been spent
on the conquering race, which might have
been spent in enriching and in elevating the
children of the soil. We have done much.
We can do a great deal more. It is however
impossible, unless we spend less on the
4 interests ' and more on the ' people ' in the
consideration of all these matters." On another
occasion he said, "We must first take into
account the inhabitants of this country. The
116

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

welfare of the people of India is our primary

"

l^ord Mayo was a great administrator;
among the many reforms that he introduced in
India u prison discipline " was one in which he
look a deep interest. About eighty years ago,
the fnortality in the penal settlement, chiefly
owing to Malaria, was very great. But as a
result of the measures taken by Lord Lawrence
and Lord Mayo, the death-rate fell from 101
per thousand to only 10 per thousand. Lord
Mayo was very seriously concerned about the
future of the Andamans. He was anxious to
have the settlement made a self-supporting
colony which would ultimately shelter about
20,000 or more life prisoners. This ambition
led the Viceroy to reconsider the constitution
of the settlement.

In the first place, he wanted to frame a
constitution which would so regulate the treat-
ment given the convicts that extremes of
neither severity nor leniency would be used,
and at the same time safeguard the lives of the
isolated handful of Englishmen who were
placed in charge. Secondly, his intention was
to establish a new citizenship for the poor un-
fortunate convicts and give them good facilities
for settling down there. Thus he wished to
raise the moral tone and the material prospects
of the convicts.

117

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

taken a serious turn. Encouraged by thjjf he^
left Moulmein on the 5th February aa<i <3n the
8th at 8 a.m. the boat cast anchor off Hope
Town on the Andamans. The Viceroy * r "
anxious to finish his inspection and return to the
capital as early as possible. He insisted that
there should be no change of any kind in the
routine of the usual daily work- He wanted the
convicts kept at their regular work so that he
might see the settlement as it really was. In
obedience to the expressed desire of His
Excellency, all the prisoners were duly kept at
their regular tasks. At the same time adequate
provision had been made for the Viceroy's
protection. Groups of armed police were
moving with the Viceroy in front, flank and
rear. The authorities had made special
arrangements for his safety in quarters like
Viper and Ross where the worst criminals were
working. Many of the prisioners were anxious
to prostrate before the Viceroy and crave his
pardon and thus obtain their release in honour
of his visit to the Andamans. .Though the
convicts were prevented from approaching him,
yet one or two prisoners handed their petitions
to an officer in attendance in the hope of having
them submitted to the Viceroy. His Excellency,
it is said, looked at them with kindness and
promised to consider their grievances. He
walked about in the hot sun for hours and noted
carefully the various things that needed im-
provement. Once or twice, when he saw that
120

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

tie could not walk freely about and view things
as he liked, on account of the police surrounding
,hin? so closely, he was somewhat annoyed.

Only a few days previously in connec-
tion with * the murder of the Chief Justice of
Bengal, he said, " These things when done
at air, are done in a moment and no number of
guards would stop one resolute man's blow. "
His brother, Major the Hon: Edward, then
Military Secretary to the Viceroy, and his
Private Secretary, both requested him to be
more careful while walking about in the midst
of the convicts. To please these two and
other anxious persons he accepted a weighted
stick which he kept swinging in his hand as
he walked down to the beach after he had
finished his inspection.

It was five in the evening. There was
still daylight. He had yet two tasks to per-
form before his departure : one personal, the
other officr 1 The official work was to as-
certain the possibility of building a sanitarium
for the convicts who were suffering from _that
worst of diseases, Malaria, and
possible, to put a stop to its
death rate was very high in thff s&Urtment.

The other task was to
enjoy the glorious suns
an hour of daylight," said th

and enjoy the glorious sunset C' JWed>5Ve*still

ASfcro)K#*J*%s

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

do Mount Harriet." The Superintendent of:
the settlement at once sent a boat with a
number of guards from Chatham Island to the
Hope Town Jetty. Soon the launch crossed
Chatham with the Viceroy and his party. On
landing he observed a group of his guests re-
freshing themselves there. The good Viceroy,
about whom Sir Fitz James Stephen said
that, he had never met one to whom he felt so
disposed to give such heart-felt affection and
honour approached the party and smiled and
spoke very kindly to all, for the last time in his
life. Meeting a lady he said, "Do come up,
you will have such a sunset." They were all
very much moved by his kindness and eagerly
followed him. He realised that as they had
been on their feet in the blazing sun for six
long hours they were undoubtedly very much
fatigued and badly in need of rest. Lord
Mayo, who still looked fresh even after his
strenuous day, walked vigorously and reached
the foot of Mount Harriett along with the party
who had followed him. Then he noticed that
his Aide-de-camp, too, was looking quite tired.
He pitied him and gently bade him sit down
and rest and enjoy the cool evening breeze.

The Superintendent had sent a pony for
the Viceroy to use in going up the hill. He
objected to this at first since the rest of the
party had to follow on foot, but after repeated
requests he mounted. He rode a short distance
122

THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

^iaind then jumped down saying, " It is my turn
t6 walk now ; one of you get on. " They all
reached the top.

Not-withstanding the fatigue of a long
tiring day. Lord Mayo walked about briskly
and carefully surveyed the possibilities of
^i-ectirfg a large sanitarium. " Plenty of room
here," he cried looking about on all sides, "to
settle two million men." Having completed
his official programme he sat down facing the
west and looked across the sea at the setting
sun. As he gazed ardently for some time at
the beautiful picture before him, perhaps his
thoughts carried him back in spirit beyond the
sunset to his dear home, Ireland. He seemed
fascinated by the beauties of nature and finally
said quietly a How beautiful ! " Again he said,
" Ah, how beautiful ! " After a few moments
he turned around to take a drink of water and
again his eyes eagerly sought the sun which
was now sinking down rapidly in the west.
Lord Mayo, not satisfied with enjoying the
glorious sight himself summoned his Private
Secretary and said, "It is the loveliest thing I
think I ever saw."

The sun had set and the party came down.
The eyes of the Viceroy had beheld their last
sunset.

Some torch-bearers who had been sent

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from Hope Town Jetty met the paity a .short'
distance from the foot of the hill. They
walked quickly and came to the jetty. The
"Glasgow" was moving gently to and fro, %,
little away from the jetty, in the midwater, with
her long line of lights. Lady Mayo had been
standing on the deck for some time watching
for her beloved husband. As darkness' set in,
her anxiety increased. At a short distance
from the "Glasgow" the other two steamers
"Dacca 1 ' and "Scotia" were anchored and the
guests on board were also eagerly awaiting the
Viceroy's return. It was now quite dark, the
clock had just struck seven. Lady Mayo was
feeling terribly anxious for the safety of her
husband: peering intently through the darkness
she saw the party nearing the shore. Now !
only a minute's walk to the jetty he will get
into the boat that will take him to his beloved
wife and the guests waiting on board the steamer.
Lo ! her keen eyes perceived him through
the dim torch-lights walking briskly ahead.
She ran in and asked the bandsmen to strike
up "Rule Brittannia''. The launch was gently
whizzing on the shore and the sweet music was
humming in his ears. Lord Mayo stepped
quickly forward to descend the jetty stairs and
board the launch. The next moment a noise
as of the rush of an animal was heard behind
the loose stones. He turned round, and lo! a
man was seen "fastened like a tiger " on the
back of the Viceroy.
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In a second, twelve men were on the
assailant : an English officer was pulling them
off, and with his sword hilt kept back the
guards, who would have killed the man on the
spot. The torches had gone out, but the Vice-
roy, who had staggered over the pier side,
could be dimly seen rising up in the knee-deep
water, and clearing the hair off his brow with
his hand as if to recover himself. His Private
Secretary was instantly at his side helping him
up the bank. " Byrne ", he said quietly,
" they've hit me. n Then in a louder voice,
which was heard on the pier, " It's all right, I
don't think I am much hurt. " In another
minute he was sitting under the smoky glare of
the re-lit torches, in a rude native cart at the
side of the jetty, his legs hanging loosely down.
As they lifted him bodily on to the cart they
saw a great dark patch on the back of his coat.
The blood came streaming out, and men tried
to staunch it with their handkerchiefs. For a
moment or two he sat up in the cart, then fell
heavily backwards. " Lift up my head, " he
said finally. Those were his last words.

They carried him down into the steam
launch, some silently believing him dead.
Others, angry with themselves for the surmise,
cut open his coat, and stopped the wound with
hastily-torn strips of cloth and the palms of
their hands. Others kept rubbing his feet and
legs. Three supported his head. The assassin

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lay tied and stunned a few yards from him. Us
the launch shot on in the darkness, eight bells
rang across the water from the ships. When it
came near the frigate, where the guests stood
waiting for dinner, and jesting about some fish
which they had caught for the meal, the lights
in the launch were suddenly extinguished to
hide what was going on inside. They lifted
Lord Mayo gently into his cabin ; when he was
laid down on the cot, every one saw that he
was dead.

To all on board, that night stands out as
the most memorable in their lives. A silence,
which seemed as though it would never again be
broken, suddenly fell on the holiday ship with
its 600 souls. The doctors held their interview
over the dead Viceroy two stabs from the
same knife on the shoulder had penetrated
the cavity of the chest, either of them sufficient
to cause death. On the guests 1 steamer loud cries
could be heard, but in the ship where the
Viceroy lay, the grief was too deep for express-
ion. Men moved about solitarily through the
night, each saying bitterly to himself ifc would
that it had been any one of us ", The anguish
and sorrow of her who received back her Lord
dead was too sacred for words, and for the same
reason the writer now refrains from further
comment.

At dawn the sight of the frigate with her
flag at half mast, the broad white strips leaden

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THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

gpfey, all the ropes slack, and the yards hang-
i$g topped in the dismal order, announced the
terrible truth to those on the other steamer who
had hoped against hope all through the night.

After d while the assassin was brought on
board where the poor victim was lying. The
Foreign Secretary asked him why he had
committed such a murder. Without flinching
he replied, " KhudcC ne hukm diya ." "By
order of God. " Then he was asked who his
accomplice was, and he answered, " Mera
shank koi admi nain ; mera sharihkhuda hai ."
" Among men I have no accomplice ; God is
my partner. " Next morning when he was
called to plead, he said, " Han mainne kiya. "
" Yes, I did it. "

The assassin was a pathan named Sher Ali,
from the North Western Frontier. He was in
the Punjab mounted police ; he had been cond
emned to death for slaying a man. But the evid-
ence in his case was not quite clear, so the
sentence had been commuted to life on the
Andamans. As be had behaved well he had
been placed among the ticket-of-leave convicts
at Hope Town. He confessed that he had
waited long and patiently to kill a white man
of high rank On the morning of the 8th
February, when the Viceroy arrived, this
convict heard the firing of the guns, and picking
up his knife he began to sharpen it, at the
same time whispering to it, " You will have

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two victims today. " He meant to kill botfi
the Viceroy and the Superintendent. He saifl
he had no personal motive for wanting to wreak
vengeance on any one, but simply thirsted for
noble blood I He further stated that although
he had tried his utmost he could not cross the
water that day and get access to the Viceroy.
But the evening was very propitious ? for'it had
brought his victim into his very hands- He
said he had followed the Viceroy without being
detected or suspected by anybody. He went
up but had to come down again without having
had an apportunity of attacking his victim.
He had almost given up hope for that day but
determined to try his luck the next day. " But
as the Viceroy stepped quickly forward on the
jetty, his grey-suited shoulders towered con-
spicuously in the torch light, and the thirst for
blood thrilled the assassin. He gave up all
idea of life, rushed round the guards, and in
a moment was on his victim's back. "

This fiendish pathan did not confess his
wretched deed to the authorities directly but
they had arranged matters secretly with a na-
tive officer who went to him in disguise and
pretended he was a man from his native place,
that he honoured him as a hero and praised his
noble action, that he would be known to the
world as a great anS brave hero, that his noble
deed should be sung in his own country and
elsewhere; and that for this reason he wanted
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THE- AND*AN ISLANDS

rtails in order teompose an^4$fo his memory
V\ hen the, authorities asked jjhHft to P ose ic>r a
photograph to be pub] ishqdiia the papers he
readily consented and blithely ; stood up before
the camera. A trial was held: he was condemn-
ed to death and was hanged on Viper Islands .

The last message he received was one
from Lady Mayo and the members of the
family which stated, "God forgive you, as we
do. 11

We now come to the saddest and most sol-
emn moment of the terrible tragedy the lifeless
body of the beloved Viceroy was brought back
to the capital after an unfinished task, midst
the outbursts of grief and uncontrollable weep-
ing of the thousands who had loved him dearly.

Some days later, Ireland received back her
son, the " warrior dead ". The English and
the Indian Press paid glowing tributes to this
noble son of Erin who had endeared himself
to the people of India by his kind and sympa-
thetic interest in their welfare,

This great hero now
spot in a quiet little churc
Estate, wither he had g
his departure for India an
rather begged the favow(E.f>f ttSAg' Ji4d tj>
rest in that shady spot.

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